Former Edgewood star hoping for chance in NFL

By On Jul 9, 2022

Edgewood and Northern Illinois grad Brayden Patton (58, with football) started at center in six of his 10 games with the Pittsburgh Maulers of the new USFL.

The waiting game has started for Brayden Patton.

He’s back home, which is now in Oxford, Ohio where his father James is the offensive line coach/run game coordinator at his alma mater of Miami University.

Brayden just spent the past few months in Birmingham, Ala., getting a taste of life as a professional athlete while playing mostly center on the offensive line for the Pittsburgh Maulers, members of the newest rendition of the United States Football League.

With that season over, he’s hoping to turn his attention to the NFL. A few training camps kick off July 18 or 19, with several also starting a week later.

“For now, I’m just hoping to hear that call,” Brayden said. “An opportunity to go to training camp or have a work out with an NFL or CFL team. My agent’s been talking to teams to see if I can get an opportunity in the NFL.”

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The window of opportunity might be as little as two days to prove he can pick up on the playbook and physically handle the job. The Lions, Raiders, Cardinals and Packers were all in contact with him during his pro day at Northern Illinois University.

For all 32 teams, there are now 10 games worth of film on Patton playing at the pro level, which is why he chose to give the USFL a try.

“When I first got drafted and went down there, it was like, ‘Wow, I’m a professional,'” Patton said. “It’s what I always dreamed about.”

Dependable Huskie

Patton, a 2016 Edgewood grad, was a three-sport standout for the Mustangs. In addition to his standout career on the football field, he led the basketball team in scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.8) his senior year. He also tossed the shot put 45-plus feet in the spring.

At NIU, Patton quickly worked his way into the starting lineup in Week 3 of his redshirt sophomore season and never missed a practice or a game over five years.

At first, his original senior season in 2020 was cancelled, then the Mid-American Conference reversed course and the Huskies ended up playing six games in November and December, losing all of them.

But the Huskies stormed back in 2021, knocking off Georgia Tech in the season opener. They got blasted by eventual Big Ten champ Michigan, but still ended up winning the MAC title game by reversing a loss to Kent State, to earn a spot in the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl in Orlando, Fla., opposite upstart Coastal Carolina.

Patton was named Second Team All-MAC and was an All-Academic pick in the league as well. He also earned a spot in the Hula Bowl. After that, he headed to Denver, Colo. base for his agent, Peter Schaffer, and trained with Patrick Nolan of Pivotal Sports Performance to prep for his pro day in Ohio.

“The stuff we heard from teams is that I was anywhere from a free agent to a late rounder on Day 3 type of player with the NFL,” Patton said. “When we heard the USFL was going to start up, we thought that might not be a bad idea.

“It would give me a chance to get more film of myself and in a pro league type setting.”

He tossed his name in to the ring and on Feb. 23, the Maulers grabbed him with the sixth pick in the 20th round.

The salaries were set at $600 per day at training camp and $4,500 per game, with the season opener on April 17, just four months removed from his mid-December bowl game. Every team would play its games in Birmingham to save money and help the new league get off the ground, even with a TV contract with Fox Sports.

Patton was professional football player now.

“At first, when I did get drafted to the Maulers, I was hesitant and not sure what to expect,” Patton said. “They had drafted a center before me but I just had to go down there and compete and let’s see what I can do.

“After Week 1, they had me play a little bit of tight end, just for the blocking. I was not out there catching passes. After Week 1, the center went down, so I had to step up Week 2. Once after that game, I felt like I belonged there.”

Professional mindset

Patton was mixed in with players of varying experience. Some had spent a few years in the NFL, maybe gotten injured. Others were rookies like him.

“The competition was great,” Patton said. “I was thinking it would be a good league and a good opportunity for me to get some film and showcase my abilities and still grow as a player instead of just waiting for a camp or OTA invite.”

He was fortunate to have a head coach in Kirby Wilson and a line coach in Steven Loney who had tons of NFL experience.

“I learned a lot from them,” Patton said. “There’s different schemes, different terminology, how to read different defenses, different blitzes and different techniques.”

Game day was different, too, with very few fans in the stands unless the hometown Birmingham Stallions were involved, then it was a packed house. There was the drone following players around and Patton was one of the players who got to spend a game mic’ed up.

“Sometimes I forgot about that and said something I shouldn’t,” Patton said. “It was interesting to have that kind of involvement in the game day experience.”

The Maulers went just 1-9, but Patton appreciated the opportunity. He felt like they gelled well as a team in the short time they had. The O-Line came together, shared meals and hung out a lot.

“Everyone being in the same place helped us grow close, too,” Patton said. “We were always with each other.”

Patton ended up playing in all 10 games, starting six, mostly at center but he found time at right and left guard and worked on the field goal unit as well.

The next snap

Patton gave NFL teams a good glimpse at his versatility and durability, both huge assets along with his 6-foot-5, 309-pound frame.

“I also felt like I got a good grasp of the playbook,” Patton said. “One of my strengths is my smarts, the playbook comes pretty easy. Another is my athletic ability, getting out into space and side to side and able to reach defenders.”

There were some eye-opening moments as he learned how much different life is as a pro athlete.

“The difference from the guys who make it and don’t make it is, once you leave college, it’s all on you,” Patton said. “It’s your job. You’re paid to do this. Your recovery. Your meals. All the lifting. It’s all on you.

“In college, a coach is always watching you. Here, they give you a time slot for lifts and treatments and it’s on you. It’s very cutthroat.”

Miss a meeting or show up late in college, you got a punishment.

“Here, you miss a meet meeting or come late, you can be cut the next day,” Patton said. “That realization came to me once I saw that happen to someone. You can’t make mistakes. You have to be on top of your stuff.”

And that’s what he’s doing now, training and keeping himself ready, if, when the NFL calls. He’s scouring tape of NFL centers such as the Colts’ Ryan Kelly and the Rams’ Brian Allen.

“I want to see what works for them and see if I can incorporate some of those things,” Patton said.

He was a Mauler in the USFL and hopes he can be a mauler in the NFL.

“I feel like I have to show my aggressiveness and toughness as an offensive lineman,” Patton said. “And my ability to move another guy and my smarts. How smart I am at being a center with the reads and checkdowns.”

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