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A few months ago, there was a weird internet rumor that former Oklahoma State cornerback Tyler Patmon had passed away. Within a few hours though, Patmon debunked that myth and all went back to normal on the internet. The internet had pretty much exploded before that point though. There is another thing about Patmon that is not dead. His NFL career. The defensive back impressed coaches during the Dallas Cowboy rookie weekend camp, and was brought on as an undrafted free agent signing. For now he is a Cowboy, but there are cuts that will have to be made before the season starts, and Patmon will have his work cut out for him to make it to the 53 man regular season active roster.
After a successful stint at Kansas, where Patmon recorded 146 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, including 2 that were sacks. Patmon also grabbed 6 interceptions in his three years as a Jayhawk. Patmon also scored two defensive touchdowns while in Lawrence, one coming off an interception and the other coming from a fumble recovery. Patmon had a fumble recovery for a touchdown for the Cowboys big win over Baylor this last season. Patmon made several key plays like that during the season, breaking up big passes, and plays that either scored points for the Cowboys, or kept points from being scored.
As a Cowboy, Patmon recorded nine pass breakups which was tied for the team lead. A great one-on-one tackler, Patmon had 28 solo tackles along with 4 assisted tackles. Patmon also recorded a forced fumble and interception during the Cowboys' 2013-2014 campaign. Patmon did not start every came but was a vital part of the secondary in every game. Patmon however did start five times while in Stillwater. Patmon provided great depth to an already outstanding Cowboy secondary.
Currently, there are 89 players on the roster for the Dallas Cowboys. That means that by the end of the preseason schedule, there will have been 36 players cut from the squad. Some of those players will be added to the practice squad, but that is not a guarantee either. Patmon hopes that he does not become one of those 36 players this summer as he looks to impress the coaches. Patmon is an average sized corner, standing at 5'10'' and 179 pounds, the weight could be an issue, but look for Patmon to put on some weight during the summer camp. His speed and agility match up with about the middle of the class of corners that were invited to this last NFL Combine. That may be the biggest problem though for Patmon. He may have a hard time separating himself from the rest of the corners with traits that could earn him a roster spot.
Patmon was a very good corner for both the Jayhawks and the Cowboys, and he has NFL potential, but there is nothing right now that could make him different from any other player competing along side him. He could very well become a good scout team player for the Cowboys in Dallas.