He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers in Charlottesville and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft with the 30th overall pick.

Initially viewed by his coach to be too scrawny to play football, Patrick Kerney eventually became team captain and was selected Most Valuable Player while recording three sacks, one blocked punt, one interception and 84 tackles in just eight games as a junior.

The 15 sacks led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), ranked second in the nation, and tied the Virginia record set by Chris Slade in 1992.

Patrick Kerney finished second in balloting for the 1998 ACC Defensive Player of the Year by one vote to fellow Cavalier All-American Anthony Poindexter.

Pat was also one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Award, given annually by the Football Writers Association to the nation's best defensive player.

Pat was a member of the 1996 Cavalier squad that advanced to the NCAA championship game and lost to Princeton 13–12 in overtime.

In Week 9, Kerney's 105-game starting streak came to an end, with a torn right pectoral muscle that required surgery.

On February 23, 2007, Kerney opted out the last two years of his contract with the Atlanta Falcons to become an unrestricted free agent.

With the Seahawks in 2007, he was voted as a starter in the Pro Bowl and led the NFC in sacks with 14.5 (which set a new career-high for Kerney).

When he first entered the NFL, he set up a foundation in name of his brother called the Lt. Thomas L. Kerney Endowment Fund.

He is married to former Sportscenter anchor Lisa Kerney and has been accepted to Columbia Business School's MBA program beginning in the fall of 2010.