Getty Kyle Shanahan coaching vs. Atlanta Falcons in 2019.
Cordarrelle Patterson will play a vital role if the Atlanta Falcons are going to upset the San Francisco 49ers on the road in Week 15. That stands to reason, since Patterson is the Falcons’ most dangerous offensive weapon.
The wide receiver turned running back is also a player familiar to Niners’ head coach Kyle Shanahan, who revealed he once scouted Patterson ahead of the 2013 NFL draft. Patterson caught Shanahan’s eye as a prime example of how a wide receiver could also play running back, something the play-caller has made a feature of the 49ers’ offense this season.
ALL the latest Falcons news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Falcons newsletter here!
Patterson’s Versatility Caught Shanahan’s Eye
Patterson was playing for the University of Tennessee when Shanahan, then the offensive coordinator in Washington, arrived to take a look. What stood out was Patterson’s ability to move into the backfield and gash defenses on the ground.
Shanahan explained to Associated Press writers Josh Dubow and Paul Newberry: “He was the first one that I ever saw. He was really good at Tennessee doing it. They used to put him in the (I formation) a lot coming out of college. That year, I remember the top two receivers were him and Tavon Austin and they were both viewed as that way. They were both viewed as receivers who could play running back and he was the best I had seen.”
One part of Shanahan’s recollection particularly stands out. It concerns how Patterson was used by the Volunteers. Specifically, his mention of the “I formation.”
The run-first set is something Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith has used to unleash Patterson, according to The Athletic‘s Ted Nguyen. He wrote how Patterson is playing behind a fullback and attacking defenses on “inside run concepts.”
Smith’s schemes, along with Patterson’s 227-pound frame and natural open-field skills honed as a kick returner, have made him a major threat at running back. He leads the Falcons with 547 rushing yards and five scores on the ground, per Pro Football Reference.
The latest of those rushing touchdowns came during Week 14’s 29-21 win over the Carolina Panthers. Highlights captured by PFF Fantasy Football show it was a lead draw behind a punishing block from fullback Kevin Smith (40). Classic I formation stuff:
Designs like this have helped make Patterson a menace in the red zone, with PFF Bet noting how no running back in the league has a higher grade inside the 20:
Cordarrelle Patterson: Highest graded RB in the red zone this season (90.0) 🔥
Patterson has outperformed Mike Davis, the man signed from the Carolina Panthers in free agency last offseason to be Atlanta’s lead back. In the process, Patterson has also delivered on the promise Shanahan saw on his scouting trip.
Ironically, that trip might have given Shanahan an idea about how to use his own wide receivers, because Patterson won’t be the only hybrid ball-carrier on the field at Levi’s Stadium.
Deebo Samuel Offers Similar Threat to Patterson
If Patterson is the man the 49ers must watch, Smith knows exactly who the Falcons need to prepare to stop. Deebo Samuel is the X factor in question, a brilliant wide receiver who has proved just as dangerous out of the backfield in 2021.
Smith told Dubow and Newberry how he sees similarities between Patterson’s performances and the way the 49ers are using Samuel: “They’ve started using him similar in the last couple of weeks like Patterson. They’re not the same player, but he’s in the backfield more. They did run the ball with him early on gadgets. Now he’s kind of is taken a little bit more of a CP roll and run a little bit inside the tackles.”
There are similarities, particularly in the way the 49ers deploy lead blockers to create space for Samuel on designed runs. A good example was broken down by ESPN Matchup analyst Matt Bowen after the 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-10 in Week 10:
Deebo Samuel in the run game…
And this rep shows you the physical play-style of SF. 44 rushing attempts. Controlled the line of scrimmage.
Shanahan, who called the offense for the Falcons when the franchise reached Super Bowl LI, has a myriad of ways to spring Samuel as a runner. Most of those ways come from “11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers),” according to Nguyen, which allows the 49ers to use one of their traditional running backs as a lead blocker for Samuel.
Like Patterson, Samuel has taken on an increased role as a workhorse back this season. While his production in this role hasn’t been as consistent as Patterson’s, Samuel has used select games to make full use of his hybrid skills.
The best example came when San Francisco beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 30-10 on Sunday, November 21, then overcame the Minnesota Vikings 34-26 in Week 12. B/R Gridiron showed the disparity between Samuel’s reps as a running back and his workload as a receiver:
Deebo Samuel’s position doesn’t matter. Just get him the rock. 😤
Samuel added eight carries for 37 yards and a touchdown to help his team best the Cincinnati Bengals 26-23 in overtime in Week 15. He has the momentum, but so does Patterson, who has helped the Falcons top 100 yards rushing in each of the last three games, according to Scott Bair of the team’s official website.
Whether it’s Samuel or Patterson, whichever runner/receiver thrives in Week 15 will likely determine the winner.