Quinton Arne Patton (born August 9, 1990) is a former
American football wide receiver. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Louisiana Tech, and was drafted by the
San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
.
Early years
Patton was born in
Nashville, Tennessee. He grew up playing little league football for the UNA Bears. From there, he went on to play football and baseball at
Stratford High School, before later transferring to
La Vergne High School
La Vergne High School is a public high school located in La Vergne, Tennessee, United States, with approximately 1,723 students. It was founded in 1988 and a part of the Rutherford County School System.
As of 2020, the current principal of the s ...
in
La Vergne, Tennessee, and playing high school football for the La Vergne Wolverines. He came out of high school as a 3-star recruit according to
Rivals.com and was committed to Louisiana Tech University.
College career
Patton attended
Coffeyville Community College for three years before transferring to
Louisiana Tech University, turning down offers from
South Florida University
The University of South Florida (USF) is a public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different con ...
and
Troy University
Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. Troy University is accredi ...
. At
Louisiana Tech, he played for the
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team in 2011 and 2012. During his first year, Patton was named a first-team All-
Western Athletic Conference (WAC) selection after he had 79 receptions for 1,202 yards and 11
touchdowns. In 2012, he had 104 receptions for 1,392 yards and 13 touchdowns, and was again a first-team All-WAC selection.
Professional career
San Francisco 49ers
Patton was selected by the
San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round, with the 128th overall pick, of the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. So stimulated by his new team that he flew at once to San Francisco, Patton was warned away from the 49ers training camp lest the organization receive a fine for his early presence, which would have been a violation of NFL league rules. Nevertheless, Patton's action rebounded in his favor when Coach
Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph Harbaugh (; born December 23, 1963) is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current and 20th head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines. He played college football at Michigan from 1983 to 1986. He play ...
took favorable notice of Patton's enthusiasm.
2013 season: Rookie year
Patton started the season as a backup to the 49ers' No. 3 receiver,
Mario Manningham
Mario Cashmere Manningham (born May 25, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. After receiving few opportunities in his rookie year, Manningham caught 1 ...
. Having suffered a
foot fracture that sidelined him after the fourth game of the season, Patton sat out virtually all of his rookie year with the 49ers and had one reception for zero yards prior to the final regular season game against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
.
However, Patton made a substantial impact in the Arizona game, most notably by catching a 29-yard sideline pass on the final drive of the game, which enabled the 49ers' winning field goal. Patton also sprinted for 26 yards on the first 49er series in the contest as well as throwing an important block later in the first quarter that helped create a long reception by fellow receiver
Anquan Boldin
Anquan Kenmile Boldin Sr. (; born October 3, 1980) is a former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State University and was drafted by the Arizona Ca ...
.
Coach Harbaugh praised Patton's comeback from his injury and stated he was "excited" by Patton's progress. The 49ers had been limited by the lack of a full complement of receiving options during most of the 2013 season.
Patton had no receptions in his first NFL playoff game against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
at
Lambeau Field, but made a notable 23-yard reception against the
Carolina Panthers in his second post season experience, for the game's initial first down.
2014 season
Patton played in only 4 games throughout the 2014 season. In the regular season finale against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
, he caught a very critical pass for a 35-yard reception as the 49ers won by a score of 20-17.
2015 season
On October 18, 2015, Patton caught his first NFL touchdown from
Colin Kaepernick in the 49ers' 25–20 win over the
Baltimore Ravens.
2016 season
Patton started all 14 games he played in registering 37 catches for 408 yards. He was placed on injured reserve on December 20, 2016.
New York Jets
On March 23, 2017, Patton signed with the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
. On June 5, 2017, Patton was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury, and was later released with an injury settlement.
Birmingham Iron
In 2019, Patton joined the
Birmingham Iron of the
Alliance of American Football
The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...
. On February 9, 2019, Patton made his AAF debut in the season-opener against the
Memphis Express, catching four passes for 107 yards. The league ceased operations in April 2019.
References
External links
San Francisco 49ers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patton, Quinton
1990 births
Living people
Players of American football from Nashville, Tennessee
American football wide receivers
African-American players of American football
Coffeyville Red Ravens football players
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football players
San Francisco 49ers players
New York Jets players
Birmingham Iron players
21st-century African-American sportspeople