Chargers recently met with Buffalo RB Jaret Patterson

I’ve got another Chargers prospect meeting for you all and this one is rather on the intriguing side.

Per Justin Melo of The Draft Wire, the Bolts recently met with former Buffalo running back Jaret Patterson over Zoom. Other teams that have me with Patterson are the Bills, Titans, Patriots, and Jets.

To casual fans, this name likely doesn’t ring much of a bell. But for those diehards of the college game, you should know all about this record-breaking ball-carrier.

In 2019, Patterson rushed for 1,799 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns, both marks setting program records. In that season’s bowl game, he was named the Offensive MVP after rushing for 173 yards and two touchdowns over Charlotte.

In the abbreviated 2020 season, the MAC only played six total games, but that didn’t stop Patterson from having another incredible season toting the rock. In just six outings, he still managed to cross the 1,000-yard threshold (1.072) while also tying his own school record with another 19 touchdowns. He hit 1,000 yards in his fifth game of the year, also tying the record for fewest games to hit quadruple digits. During the year, Patterson authored games of 301 and 409 rushing yards, with each coming one after the other. When he rushed for 409 yards against Kent State, he also tied the FBS record with eight rushing touchdowns on the day.

For his efforts, Patterson was a First-Team All-MAC selection, the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year, the Vern Smith Leadership Award winner (top player in MAC), as well as a Second-Team All-American.

At 5’9 and 195 pounds, Patterson isn’t the biggest of backs, but you wouldn’t be able to tell if you only saw him running through opposing defenses. He offers a tremendous amount of contact balance and he packs quite a punch behind his pads. He’s not a speed demon, and you don’t rack up that many yards by going completely untouched on every carry. Patterson knows how to power through arm tackles and would-be tacklers. He’s a guy you’re going to have to come with a purpose when tackling if you plan to bring him down on the first attempt.

I don’t know if the Chargers need much help in the running back department, but what happened in 2020 did show that the depth of the position can get exposed quickly when hit as hard as it was.

For a Day 3 pick, I’d take Patterson in a heartbeat.