Patrick Peterson

Patrick De'mon Peterson Jr. ( Johnson; born July 11, 1990) is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent.

He played college football for the LSU Tigers, where he won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in the country, and the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back.

He is regarded as one of the greatest cornerbacks of his era.

Peterson was born in Pompano Beach, Florida on July 11, 1990.

He attended Blanche Ely High School, where he played running back and defensive back.

As a junior, he recorded 11 total touchdowns on offense, while recording seven interceptions and 54 tackles on defense.

He returned three kick-offs for touchdowns and added 10 rushes for 213 yards.

As a senior, Peterson compiled 733 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns (9 rushings, one kick return, and one punt return).

Defensively, he had 21 tackles and five interceptions.

By November 2007, Peterson had reopened his recruiting process and acknowledged interest in Georgia, USC, Florida, and LSU.

He later dropped Georgia and USC from his list and added Florida State, but eventually announced his decision to attend LSU at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Besides numerous All-American team selections, Peterson was named Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today and played in the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

He was also on the school's track & field team, where he ran the 100 meters in 10.92 seconds and the 200 meters in 22.24 seconds.

He was also a member of the 4 × 100 m relay (41.41 s) squad.

A consensus five-star prospect by all major recruiting services, Peterson was rated as the nation's fifth-best overall player by Rivals.com and No. 8 by ESPN.

Before his senior season, he verbally committed to play for the University of Miami, but continued to look at other schools.

Peterson attended Louisiana State University, where he played for coach Les Miles's LSU Tigers football team from 2008 to 2010.

One of the most decorated high school players to ever attend LSU, Peterson played 13 games as a true freshman.

On November 8, against SEC West rival Alabama, he had his first collegiate interception.

He started the final four games of season, including the Chick-fil-A Bowl win over Georgia Tech.

Peterson finished the season with 41 tackles, one interception, and three pass breakups, while also adding a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.

In his sophomore season, Peterson emerged as one of the top defensive backs in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

On September 26, against Mississippi State, he had a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown.

In a game against standout wide receiver A. J. Green of Georgia, Peterson was able to hold Green to just four catches.

By mid-season, Peterson tied for fourth in the league with seven passes defended, and was named the SEC's "Most Improved Player" by ESPN's Chris Low.

Another highly anticipated match-up occurred when Peterson went against Julio Jones of Alabama.

Peterson's LSU Tigers were ranked ninth in the country and traveled to face Nick Saban and the #1 ranked Crimson Tide.

The Tigers were down by six points late in the fourth quarter when Peterson stepped in front of a pass from quarterback Greg McElroy to Julio Jones for what seemed like an interception.

Multiple CBS camera angles showed that Peterson was able to get at least one foot in bounds.

However, even after review, the SEC officiating crew called the pass incomplete, saying that Peterson was not able to get any foot in bounds.

Alabama would go on to kick a field goal on that drive and won 24–15.

The missed interception call quickly became infamous and was debated by many media outlets.

Peterson finished 2009 with 52 tackles.

His 43 solo tackles were second on the team behind linebacker Kelvin Sheppard.

Peterson returned an interception for a touchdown against Mississippi State, and he returned a blocked field goal against Ole Miss for a touchdown.

He was also named a 2009 Second-Team All-American by The Sporting News, a 2009 First-Team All-SEC performer by ESPN, and a 2009 Second-Team All-SEC performer by the AP.

A member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Peterson was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first eight seasons in the NFL and was named to the All-Pro first-team on three occasions.

In 2021, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent after 10 seasons with Arizona.

In 2023, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Peterson was selected fifth overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.