I got a chance to interview Chargers Running Back Jaret Patterson about his journey in the NFL. Coming out of Buffalo in 2020, Patterson signed with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent. I asked him if he thought he would get drafted, and he thought he could go as high as the 3rd round. And in his defense, that wasn’t a stretch at all. He really did all he could do junior year at the University of Buffalo. With a shortened COVID season in 2020, he rushed for 1,072 yards and 19 touchdowns in six games. Yes, you read that right. SIX GAMES. He still holds the FBS record for most touchdowns in a game with 8. He was first team All-MAC and second team All-American. And yet, the 5’9” running back went undrafted in 2020.
So I asked him what lessons he has learned in the NFL that he may have not learned at the University of Buffalo. And he mentioned patience to me. To be in Year 6 in the NFL, in a league where the average player only lasts 3, and still getting opportunities to compete on gameday requires a ton of patience. Jaret is heading into year 3 with the Chargers. He got several opportunities to showcase his skills last year with the Bolts with injuries to Omarion Hampton and Hassan Haskins, and he made the most of them. The most memorable one to me was scoring against the Raiders last year at home. The Chargers also saw the value in Patterson, awarding him a one-year deal over the offseason which was rightfully deserved in my opinion. You don’t get to year six in the NFL by pure luck.
I did want to hear his feelings about this year’s team. The whole fan base couldn’t be more excited about Mike McDaniel coming over to run this offense. He mentioned that there is something special growing about this team and that they have a really good running back room. I think any fan paying attention to the pieces in that running back room knows that this could be a top 5 room in the league. He said that he wanted to be a part of this team this year because of the potential. I think there is a real chance this upcoming season that this team can go very deep into the playoffs and potentially the Super Bowl.
Jaret and I finished off the interview with some fun questions, one of them being about both of our East Coast roots. I asked him what his preferred convenience store was. If you don’t know, the Northeast has some juggernaut convenience stores, and they are always a go-to for me anytime I head back there. We both agreed Wawa was King. Gotta Have Wawa. If you like to watch the full interview, check out the YouTube video above.
