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- Mar 19, 2019
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INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts have had a ton of recent success in the NFL Draft when it comes to unearthing gems in the seventh round.
Since 2009, the Colts have selected the likes of Matthew Adams, Austin Blythe, Kavell Conner, Zaire Franklin, Denzelle Good, Ulrick John, Ricardo Mathews, Pat McAfee and Kerwynn Williams; all of whom have gone on to play extensively either for the Colts or elsewhere.
With their final pick in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Colts used the 246th-overall selection on Ole Miss offensive lineman Javon Patterson. Will he, along with fellow 2019 seventh-rounder Jackson Barton, continue the Colts’ good fortune of seventh-round picks?
Patterson comes to the NFL with quite a bit of experience and versatility that he displayed with the Rebels. He started half of the time during his true freshman year in 2015 and then all 36 games since then.
He saw action at all three interior line positions, starting 33 games at left guard, six at right guard and three at center. The Colts currently consider him a center.
“Yeah, just coming in as a center, interior guy competing for the spot,” Patterson told reporters after being drafted. “That’s the main thing that Coach (Chris) Strausser and the GM (Chris Ballard) told me.”
Off the field, Patterson has been just as dependable. He was on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List in each of the last two years, which is the premier award for community service in college football. He was also on the SEC Student-Athlete Leadership Council in 2017, as well as the SEC Community Service Team and was an AFCA Good Works Team Nominee.
He even graduated high school early to enroll at Ole Miss as a five-star recruit. He was considered the No. 32-overall national prospect and No. 1 guard by 247Sports.
“The last four years, man, I have been a great leader. I started off my sophomore year being a leader. After my freshman year after taking over with Laremy (Tunsil) and those guys. My sophomore season, me and three other guys and Greg Little kind of became leaders of the offensive line,” Patterson said when asked about what role leadership plays in his presence as a teammate. “I have established that and it has been great. I am hoping to take that to Indianapolis with me.”
Patterson has a great physical build for any interior line position at 6-3 and 307 pounds. However, his shorter arms — 32 ½-inch arms and 78 ¼-inch wingspan are both less than the 20th percentile among offensive linemen — are one big reason many projected him as a center in the pros.