Clay Patterson Talks Stanford Pro Day, Yale to Stanford Connection

Throughout the entire 2025 season, Stanford football was able to rely on their defensive line to keep them in games, and their star was senior lineman Clay Patterson.

Patterson had a great season, becoming the perfect spark on the defensive side of the ball, getting a plethora of sacks and pressuring quarterbacks all season. Now, the senior looks to take the next step, hoping to play in the NFL next season.

Patterson was a part of a 13 member Stanford pro day, where he absolutely showed out. He looked fast, jumped far, and showcased his athleticism in front of NFL scouts from 31 teams. After the event, he started by speaking about his overall experience at pro day.

“Yeah, it was great. I mean, this opportunity, you can't beat it. So I'm just glad I made the most of it. It was great to see all these scouts out here, all the teams. So I'm just really happy with how the day went.”

He then talked about how his game has transformed over the offseason. “I think, living out of the season, you want to get your body healthy and luckily I didn't have any injuries coming out of the season. So I was able to just get to work.

"Put on muscle, lose fat, work on my body and then get faster, as y'all have seen out here. I felt like I moved pretty well. And then just working on technique, working with the trainer and then just watching film. So just starting that same process I used last year carrying it over."

Patterson also spoke about Stanford’s brotherhood, after all players came to watch him his pro day.

“It's awesome. I mean, part of the reason I play football is part of the brotherhood and seeing so much representation out of Stanford just shows the trajectory that the program is on, and it was just great competing with my guys out here. They all did amazing.”

Patterson, who played at Yale before transferring to Stanford, talked about the Yale to Stanford pipeline.

“David Pantelis is one of my best friends from Yale, so it was awesome having him come in. Unfortunate injury last year, but it just shows the program that Yale has and just having them here. It's awesome that he's following the same path that I took and playing that highest level of football. So it's awesome to see. Nico Brown's an awesome player. I can't wait to see what he does. He is one of the best receivers in the country.”

He ended by talking about the NFL Draft. “I mean, any team that takes me in the draft is going to be the team that I'm happy to end up on, you know? All I can ask for is an opportunity. I think I'm a great player, so whoever decides to take that chance on me and draft me, I think that's the team I want to be on.”

Patterson now has a month before the NFL draft, where he hopes to hear his name. The secondary option would be to sign as an undrafted free agent after the draft with the hope of making a roster for training camp, a feat that he certainly has the talent to achieve.

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