Eli Patton Eli Patton 6'2" | 280 lbs | OL McMinn Co. | 2024 State TN is a good interior offensive lineman prospect for McMinn County High School. He’s had a strong season and is finishing with a bang. Patton shows good burst off the line of scrimmage, taking good angles to the point of attack. He understands leverage and uses hands well, combined with hips to create torque and lanes for RBs to run through. Good technical ability, he stays square with good body lean and control.

Eli Patton Eli Patton 6'2" | 280 lbs | OL McMinn Co. | 2024 State TN dominated the traches vs Oak Ridge in week 5. He showed good hand usage and lower body strength to create movement in the run game. Patton used leverage and positioning with hip torque to create displacement and running lanes. Good movement skills when moving, he takes nice angles to the point of attack and is an instinctive player out in space.

Eval: Being massive on the O-line is something that has become the norm these days inside the trenches but smaller guys can excel as well and I think Patton is one of those prospects. Standing 6’2 275 pounds, Patton fits the bill of a future offensive guard or center on the next level but for his Cherokees team, he mans the left tackle position on occasions, which tells you he is the team’s most athletic O-lineman. Patton sports a mobile and powerful lower base that allows him to square up defenders and move well laterally, opening up holes for his running backs. Like I mentioned above, Patton is also a very good athlete that can play anywhere across the offensive line with his biggest upside being in the middle. Looking over his highlights, Patton could be a future center on the collegiate level as I feel that’s where his potential fits the best but could certainly handle himself at offensive guard as well. The Cherokees senior O-lineman plays a physical, smart brand of football that translates well to the next level both on the field and inside the locker room. He does need to keep adding more weight while developing his athletic traits further but Patton has a lot of skills about himself that I think will shine brighter once he gets into the college game.

Many around the scouting circle may not know too much about this East Tennessee offensive lineman but they should look further into Patton as on film, he looks like one of the more athletic and versatile prospects from his position for the #TN2024 class. Naturally powerful with a strong lower base, Patton anchors very well from the interior of the O-line, showing the ability to stack his opponent or drive them back into the second level. Patton also shows explosive blocking, meaning he gets out his stance quickly, gets to his spot then drives back his opponent as fast as he can. He is interior versatile with the upside to lock down the center position on the next level and excel. The Cherokees senior O-lineman may continue to sit under the radar for a while due to his 6 ‘2 size but trust me, this dude can play and would bring strong value to anyone’s locker room.