Houston Texans pick Notre Dame OL Jarrett Patterson in sixth round of 2023 NFL Draft

Jarrett Patterson arrived at Notre Dame as an 11th-hour addition to the Irish’s 2018 signing class. He leaves with more career starts than all but a few players in team history, and as an NFL Draft pick.

The Houston Texans chose Patterson, a 46-game starter on the offensive line and a two-time team captain, in the sixth round with the 201st overall pick. Per Spotrac, he will sign a four-year deal worth $4,009,972 million.

The 6-foot-5, 306-pound Patterson is the third Notre Dame player taken this year, joining tight end Michael Mayer (No. 37, Las Vegas Raiders) and defensive end Isaiah Foskey (No. 40, New Orleans Saints). He is the 10th Irish offensive lineman taken since 2014 and the fourth since 2021. His selection means all five primary starters on the Irish’s 2020 offensive line have either been drafted or started at least one NFL game.

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Patterson started 12 games at left guard in 2022 and 34 at center from 2019-21. He did not allow a sack in 1,608 career pass blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed just 37 career quarterback pressures, per PFF, including only 9 this past season. He posted a PFF run blocking grade of at least 70.2 in all four seasons as a starter.

Notre Dame inserted Patterson as the first-team center in the opening spring practice of 2019, a head-turning move and quick rise for a player who spent his freshman season at tackle and took a redshirt. He never left center that spring, though, and locked down the starting job. From there, the only thing that knocked him out of a starter’s role was an injury.

Health, though, was a bugaboo. Patterson missed the final four games of 2020 and all of 2021 spring practice with a Lisfranc injury. He suffered a torn pec that knocked him out of 2022 spring practice. A foot sprain sidelined him for the 2022 opener at Ohio State.

The pec injury paved the way for a switch from center to left guard, a move Notre Dame considered but did not make one year earlier.

Zeke Correll, who started two games in place of Patterson in 2020 before a move to guard flopped in 2021, slid in as the first-team center last spring. He made a compelling case as one of the Irish’s best five linemen. The staff’s response was to shift Patterson to guard. The coaches thought it was best for the line. They convinced Patterson it was best for him and his NFL hopes.

Patterson touted his versatility and experience at multiple positions in the pre-draft process. He played center and guard at the Senior Bowl.

“Every team I met with, formally and informally through this process, my whole thing has been talking about my versatility and being able to play all three interior spots,” Patterson said at the NFL Combine. “That has been my biggest selling point. I don’t care where I’m at. Get me somewhere inside, and I’ll play to the best of my ability.”

Center is seen as his best spot.

“He’s a center,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said in March. “That’s where he’s going to play.”

Patterson was a likely draft selection if he declared after the 2021 season. He returned for Year 5, though, because he wanted to help his pro readiness and feel prepared to start as a rookie. A year playing for respected offensive line coach Harry Hiestand surely helped. But his draft stock and NFL outlook remained largely unchanged.

“Patterson has alert eyes and strong, stubborn hands from contact to finish, but his lack of ideal length and athleticism showed on his college film and will be even more evident versus NFL competition,” The Athletic analyst Dane Brugler wrote in his draft guide. “His guard-center experience will help his chances of earning an NFL reserve spot.”

Patterson originally chose Notre Dame on the first day of the 2018 late signing period. He was initially committed to Arizona State before a coaching change led him to reopen his recruitment. He chose the Irish over UCLA. The Mission Viejo, Calif. native was a four-star recruit and the No. 273 overall player in the retroactively applied 2018 On3 Industry Ranking. He is the second draft pick from Notre Dame’s 27-man 2018 recruiting class, joining tight end Tommy Tremble (third round, 2021).

Notre Dame has 525 all-time draft picks after Patterson’s selection.