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Barry Sanders is arguably the greatest running back in NFL history. Sanders retired in July 1999 after 10 years in the NFL with over 15,000 rushing yards and 109 touchdowns.
When Sanders walked away from the game, he was two years removed from rushing over 2,000 yards and rushed for 1,491 in his final season. He was just under 1,500 yards shy of breaking Walter Payton’s career NFL rushing record.
Since retiring from the NFL, Sanders has remained active in his local communities and continues to follow his Detroit Lions.
Sanders is on Twitter and recently saw undrafted Washington rookie running back Jaret Patterson working out before last weekend’s game. Sanders tagged Patterson on the tweet and offered him words of encouragement.
Excited to see what you can do… just not against the @Lions .. good luck @JaretPatterson https://t.co/mbac0Gup0f
— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) September 1, 2021
You love to see it.
The 5-foot-8, 195-pound Patterson went undrafted in the 2021 NFL draft and signed with the Washington Football Team as an undrafted free agent. Patterson was the star of Washington’s preseason and made the team as the third running back.
Something Sanders has in common with Patterson is his size. Sanders was also 5-foot-8 and just over 200 pounds when he played. One of the knocks on Patterson in the pre-draft process was his size. That notion seems ridiculous in hindsight.
So, it’s nice to see an NFL legend take notice of an undrafted free agent and offer him encouragement.
Patterson and the Washington Football Team open the 2021 NFL season on Sept. 12 against the Los Angeles Chargers.