Patrick Peterson recently earned lofty praise from Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim when he compared his electric return man and cornerback to NFL legends Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders.
Patrick Peterson compared to Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders by Cardinals GM
Cardinals general manager Steve Keim didn’t hold back when asked about Patrick Peterson, mentioning his young star with two of the all-time greats.
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Keim’s comments happened when Monday Morning Quarterback’s Robert Klemko asked what Peterson means to the Cardinals.
From an ability standpoint, I’ve never seen anything like him. He’s the closest thing in the league to a Bo Jackson, a Deion Sanders. I’ve seen him stand on the field flatfooted and throw the ball 65-70 yards. He goes out to practice as a wideout, and runs a 10- and 15-yard out as well as anyone on our team. His value to our team is really unparalleled.
Keim’s comment about Peterson’s ability to run receiving routes is significant. According to ESPN, head coach Bruce Arian has prepared roughly 15 plays for Peterson on offense.
Much like Sanders was with the Atlanta Falcons, Peterson could be a difference maker in three phases -- defense, special teams and offense. Peterson has also appeared in the offensive backfield during training camp, suggesting he could be also be used as a ball carrier in certain situations.
Whether Peterson lives up to the hype that Keim has heaped on him remains to be seen, but he is definitely off to a good start considering the third-year player out of LSU has made the Pro Bowl twice in two seasons played. In 2011, Peterson made the AFC squad as a kick returner before making it as a defensive back last year.
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