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Cordarrelle Patterson has only been in the NFL a year but his abilities seem to be endless. He can return kicks. He can take screen passes to the house. He can use his body and leaping ability to make difficult catches seem commonplace.
And he can even visit your first grade classroom if you ask him.
Last month, a first grader named Nevaeh Torma from Maple Grove's Rice Lake Elementary School wrote a letter to the Vikings wide receiver asking him to visit her class. Her teacher took a picture of Nevaeh and her letter and sent the following tweet to Patterson:
@ceeflashpee84 a letter to you from one of my first graders #RLRoadrunners pic.twitter.com/y9jho5L9a9
— Drew Gernand (@DrewGernand) April 11, 2014
Cute, but it's not like Patterson was ever going to show up, right?
Until he actually did on Tuesday.
Patterson stopped by the school to have lunch with Nevaeh and her classmates. He also signed autographs, took pictures, and even went outside in the rain to play football with the kids. Patterson told Kim McGuire of Star Tribune about his experience:
Just working hard and having fun with what I do helped me achieve my goals and dreams. I always smile and try to make the most of every day...If I can help these students smile and enjoy their day, we all win and we all get better. It's a blessing to be able to make these kids light up and enjoy their time.
After his impromptu trip to Rice Lake Elementary, Patterson tweeted pictures from his adventure:
Big thanks to Nevaeh and Rice Lake Elementary for inviting me out today! Had a blast! #RLRoadrunners pic.twitter.com/tGJhc886Om
— cordarrelle (@ceeflashpee84) May 27, 2014
It's a simple act of kindness and good PR, but I'm sure Patterson's presence gave the kids a memory that will last a lifetime. After hearing about this story it's hard not to root for Patterson to use those cleats Nevaeh likes so much to continue to be "good at catching footballs" and "making touchdowns".