Patrick James Bates (born November 27, 1970) is a former safety in the National Football League. He was drafted in the 1st round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Raiders and later played for the Atlanta Falcons after being traded by the Raiders in exchange for the Falcons' second-round selection in the 1996 NFL draft. Out of high school, Patrick Bates signed with UCLA, but transferred to Texas A&M in 1991. Soon, Bates would become one of the best players of the A&M's famed "Wrecking Crew" of the early 1990s. In 1993, Bates was a first-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Raiders.