FIVE FORMER DRAGONS ON NFL OPENING ROSTERS; 1 ON PRACTICE SQUAD

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

With the opening weekend of the National Football League season here, Hutchinson Community College is well represented on opening-day NFL Rosters.

There are six former Blue Dragon football players on opening day rosters – five are active and one is on the practice squad.

Receiver/returner Cordarrelle Patterson is the longest-tenured former Blue Dragon active in the NFL. Now beginning his eighth season in the league, Patterson is with the Chicago Bears. Running back Alvin Kamara is with the team that drafted him in 2017, the New Orleans Saints. Tight end Gerald Everett, also a 2017 draft selection, is still with the Los Angeles Rams.

Former Blue Dragon defensive end De'Vondre Campbell changes teams this season, moving from Atlanta to be a member of the Arizona Cardinals. Former Cardinal Markus Golden is a New York Giant and former defensive end Jeremiah Ledbetter is with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

CORDARRELLE PATTERSON – CHICAGO BEARS
Known in Blue Dragon Nation as simply "C.P.," Patterson is in the second year of a two-year contract with the Bears.

On April 25, 2013, Patterson became the first Blue Dragon to be a first-round NFL Draft pick, chosen by the Minnesota Vikings with the 29th overall selection. After four seasons with the Vikings, Patterson single played with the Oakland Raiders in 2017, won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2018 and played for the Bears last season.

Patterson is one of three Blue Dragons to play in a Super Bowl and is the only former HutchCC player to win the Super Bowl.

In 2019, Patterson had 11 catches for 83 yards and rushed 17 times for 103 yards for Chicago. As a returner, Patterson returned 28 kickoffs for an average of 29.5 yards and had a 102-yard return for a touchdown.

For his career, Patterson is averaging 29.9 yards per return, seven going back for touchdowns (6 kickoff returns, 1 put return). He tied an NFL record that can never be broken with a 109-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as a member of the Vikings in Week 8 of the 2013 season.

Patterson is a three-time Pro Bowl selection.

Patterson was making some big preseason news as the Bears are toying with the idea of using Patterson in more of a running-back role this season. Back in 2014 with the Vikings, Patterson set an NFL record for rushing yards by a receiver with 102 yards on only three carries against the then-St. Louis Rams.

Patterson was only the third Blue Dragon ever to be a two-time NJCAA All-American. Patterson was also named the 2011 Jayhawk Conference Offensive Player of the Year. When he completed his HutchCC career, he owned 16 career, season or single-game Blue Dragon Dragons records.

In 2011, Patterson caught a career-high 61 passes for 924 yards and he accounted for 1,814 all-purpose yards in helping the Blue Dragons. The 61 receptions were a school record and the 924 yards rank fourth-best in a single season. He also set a record for single-season all-purpose yardage and had three 200-plus-yard all-purpose yardage games this season and five for his career. Other single-season offensive records included: Scoring (144 points), total touchdowns (24), and receiving touchdowns (15).

As a kick returner, Patterson averaged an NJCAA-best and HutchCC single-season record 51.1 yards per return average on 12 returns with three touchdowns. Patterson owns three of the top four all-time kickoff returns with TDs of 98, 97 and 96 yards in his career. He had two kickoff returns for touchdowns against Kilgore in the 2011 season opener.

Patterson was also a threat running the ball with 379 yards on just 32 carries (11.8 yards per rush).

Patterson accounted for 1,686 yards of all-purpose offense and averaged 17.6 yards every time he touched the football. He broke 200 all-purpose yards three times that season.

The versatile receiver scored 15 receiving touchdowns, six rushing touchdowns and three touchdowns on kickoff returns. His 15 receiving touchdowns and 24 overall touchdowns are single-season records as well as his 144 points scored in 12 games. Patterson scored touchdowns in 20 of 23 games played in his Hutchinson career.

During his one season at Tennessee, Patterson finished with terrific all-around numbers. He had 46 catches for 778 yards and 25 carries for 308 yards. He scored 10 touchdowns, including a kickoff return and a punt return. He even completed a pass for 28 yards. Patterson was named first-team All-SEC.

ALVIN KAMARA – NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Since the day the New Orleans Saints drafted Kamara in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft (67th overall selection), he has been productive in that high-octane offense.

Over his first three seasons (45 games), Kamara has accounted for 4,476 yards of total offense and 37 touchdowns and is the only Saints running back to ever be selected to the Pro Bowl three times.

As a running back, Kamara has rushed for 2,408 yards, averaging 5.13 yards per carry, with 27 rushing touchdowns. Equally effective catching the ball, Kamara has 243 career receptions for 2,068 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Kamara was named the 2017 Association Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after leading all rookies with 14 total touchdowns and ranked second with 1,554 scrimmage yards. Kamara led all rookies with 81 receptions, the third-most by a rookie running back in NFL history.

The 2019 season was slowed by injuries for Kamara. Still the former Blue Dragon ran for 797 yards and five scores and caught 81 passes for 533 yards.

In 2014, Kamara became the 17th Hutchinson running back to reach 1,000 yards in a season. Kamara finished 10th on the Blue Dragon single-season rushing list with 1,211 yards on 172 carries. He averaged 7.0 yards per carry, which ranks second in team history. With 21 total touchdowns, Kamara tied for second place on Hutch's single-season list. His 126 points are also tied for second place with Mack Herron.

Kamara was named the 2014 Jayhawk Conference Offensive Player of the Year and NJCAA First-Team All-American.

Coming to Hutch from Alabama, Kamara returned to the SEC with the Tennessee Volunteers where he played for two seasons in an impressive running-back rotation.

MARKUS GOLDEN – NEW YORK GIANTS
Golden will be in his sixth overall NFL season, the second the with Giants after four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. Drafted by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft (58th overall selection), Golden signed with the Giants before the 2019 season as a free agent.

Golden started all 16 games for the Giants in 2019, racking up a career-best 69 total tackles (33 solo, 35 assisted). Golden reached double figures in quarterback sacks for the second time in his career with 10 – his career high was 12.5 with the Cardinals in 2016.

For his NFL career, Golden has played in 62 games, started 40 and has accounted for 181 tackles and 29 quarterback sacks.

Golden played only one season at Hutchinson in 2010. Golden had 90 total tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback sacks, five forced fumbles and two interceptions with the Blue Dragons. Golden was a second-team All-Jayhawk Conference selection.

He redshirted to concentrate on academics in 2011 and then played three seasons at Missouri.

DE'VONDRE CAMPBELL – ARIZONA CARDINALS
After four seasons, including one Super Bowl appearance, with the Atlanta Falcons, Campbell signed a free-agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals. Campbell was a fourth-round draft pick (115th overall selection) of the Falcons in 2016.

Campbell's appearance in Super Bowl LI made him the first Blue Dragon to play in that game.

Over his four seasons with Atlanta, Campbell played in 59 games (54 starts) and totaled 363 total tackles (234 solo and 18 tackles for loss). He had 5.5 career quarterback sacks, five forced fumbles, three interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Last season, Campbell posted a career high 129 total tackles with three forced fumbles, two sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

In his one season at Hutchinson in 2012, Campbell was a second-round all-Jayhawk Conference linebacker. He was second on the team in tackles with 83 total stops, including 21 unassisted tackles. He also had three quarterback sacks, one interception and two passes broken up. That interception was returned for a touchdown against Fort Scott.

After HutchCC, Campbell went to the University of Minnesota. He played in 39 games over three years with the Golden Gophers. He started in 11 of 13 games in his senior season and finished third on the 2015 team with 92 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and a team-high four sacks. He was named All-Big 10 Honorable mention honors as a senior.

GERALD EVERETT – LOS ANGELES RAMS
Everett, a tight end, starts his fourth season with the Rams, who drafted the former Dragon in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft with the 44th overall selection.

Everett is the third former Blue Dragon to play in a Super Bowl, losing Super Bowl VIII to Cordarrelle Patterson and the New England Patriots.

Over his first three years with the Rams, Everett has 86 receptions for 972 yards and seven touchdowns. Last season, Everett had career highs in receptions with 37 and receiving yards with 408.

Actually drafted ahead of Alvin Kamara in the 2017 Draft, Everett never appeared in a game with the Blue Dragons in 2012 or 2013. The 6-foot-3, 239-pound tight end played only one year of high school football. Then after his time in Hutchinson, he moved onto Alabama-Birmingham where he caught 17 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown in 2014.

UAB dropped football, which forced Everett to transfer to South Alabama. He earned first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors in 2015 and 2016 with a combined 90 receptions for 1,292 yards and 12 touchdowns.

JEREMIAH LEDBETTER – TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Ledbetter is the only Blue Dragon not on an active roster to start 2020, but is on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad.

Ledbetter was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 2017 NFL Draft in the sixth round (205th overall selection) and was signed to Tampa Bay's practice squad on September 3, 2018.

Ledbetter played in all 16 games for the Lions in 2017, recording 15 total tackles, 0.5 quarterback sacks and a blocked field goal. He has played one game for the Buccaneers in two seasons. He did not play at all in 2019.

Ledbetter was a two-year starter at Hutchinson and was a two-time All-Jayhawk Conference performer and second-team NJCAA All-American in 2014.

Ledbetter finished the 2014 season with 78 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 quarterback sacks, the second most in single-season Blue Dragon history. Ledbetter also had seven quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks on special teams.

Ledbetter closed his Blue Dragon career with a flourish as he had three quarterback sacks and 10 total tackles in a Defensive MVP performance in the 2014 Salt City Bowl.

For his career, Ledbetter finished with 144 total tackles and his 22.5 career quarterback sacks tied Adam Davis for No. 2 on the Blue Dragon career charts.

Ledbetter then transferred to Arkansas where he was a two-year starter who amassed 104 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss and eight quarterback sacks.