Jim loves Quinton: Harbaugh falls for overeager rookie WR
48
E-mail
Print
Quinton Patton. (AP)
In the first move of his NFL career, 49ers rookie wide receiver Quinton Patton mistakenly ran a fly route.
And his head coach couldn’t be more thrilled.
In fact, Jim Harbaugh can’t wait to envelop Patton in a bear hug when the fourth-round pick arrives next week for the team’s rookie minicamp.
“He’s already my favorite guy,” Harbaugh said on KNBR on Wednesday.
Why the love-fest? On Monday, two days after the former Louisiana Tech star was drafted, Patton flew from Nashville, Tenn., to San Francisco on his own dime, rented a car and called the 49ers shortly before he was due to arrive at their facility in Santa Clara.
Per NFL rules, Patton’s exuberance was illegal. If he’d made it to the team’s headquarters, he would have been ineligible to participate in the three-day rookie minicamp.