The Raiders’ young defensive backs have generated plenty of excitement, along with a long list of NFL player comparisons. Coach Joe Woods compared fifth-round cornerback Zeke Masses to Denzel Ward. Jermod McCoy has drawn comparisons to Stephon Gillmore, while Darien Porter has been linked to Tariq Woolen. Treydan Stukes has been compared to Kyler Gordon and Cooper DeJean, and Dalton Johnson has been mentioned alongside Cam Taylor-Britt and Javon Bullard.
But what are the most realistic NFL comparisons for these young Raiders defensive backs?
Remembering Elvis “Toast” Patterson
Don’t be fooled by the haters. Elvis “Toast” Patterson is a 10-year NFL veteran with two Super Bowl rings. Some people, including Patterson himself, claim that his nickname referred to the Toast of the Town in New York when he won his first Super Bowl with the Giants.
One thing is certain: Toast reinvented the concept of the “cover corner.” Whenever he filled in at cornerback, opponents were a lock to “cover the spread.”
A year after starting at cornerback in the Super Bowl, Patterson was unceremoniously cut by Bill Parcells after an allegedly hangover-impaired Monday Night Football performance. According to legend, Tuna canned Toast after a Sunday night on the Town.
Ultimately, though, the real losers were bookmakers and New York bagel houses, left with no Lox to Cover the Spread after Toast left Town. Patterson eventually landed with the Raiders, where he successfully reinvented himself as “Ghost,” a special teams legend who seemed to materialize out of nowhere to make big plays.
More often than not, comparing almost any young cornerback or defensive back to the one and only Elvis “Toast” Patterson is a good bet. Just sayin’.
