Gary Patterson will be a guest of Jason Verrett at the NFL Draft tonight
It's a scene you've witnessed hundreds of times at this time of year.
The commissioner takes the stage and speaks a name into the microphone, changing a life forever. Away from the stage, the NFL's newest employee embraces family members, his girlfriend and, of course, his agent before embracing his new life.
TCU cornerback Jason Verrett takes his turn tomorrow, and he'll have head coach Gary Patterson in tow with him.
"I just felt like it's something he should be a part of," Verrett told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "He coached me for the three years that I've been there and we had a good relationship. We kept building the relationship as I got older. Having him there, it's going to be fun. It's his first time and it's my first time, so we're going to celebrate together."
A product of Fairfield, Calif., Patterson persuaded Verrett away from Boise State and to TCU after a stint at Santa Rosa Junior College. He arrived in Fort Worth in 2011, earned first team All-America honors by SI.com in 2012 and first team All-America honors again in 2013, this time from the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Fox Sports. After compiling 160 tackles and nine interceptions in his three seasons in purple, Verrett earned enough respect to garner an invite to Radio City Music Hall for Thursday night's festivities. Most mock drafts project Verrett as a late first round selection.
It's a testimony to Patterson to so quickly build such a close and impactful relationship with Verrett, and he'll be rewarded with nationally-televised shots on ESPN and NFL Network when Verrett's name is inevitably called. Bringing a head coach to the green room is not unheard of - Andrew Luck brought David Shaw, and Robert Griffin III was joined by Art Briles back in 2012 - but it is uncommon. All the more reason for Patterson to soak in the moment and milk it for all it's worth.
