The Indianapolis Colts had their eyes on wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. from the start of the pre-draft process. They eventually used the No. 34 overall pick to get the USC product, fulfilling many projections for Indy heading into the draft.
While the Colts were expected to move out of the No. 34 spot, they decided that grabbing the talented Pittman Jr. would be better than what they could get in a trade. Given the need and talent, Chris Ballard sent in the card.
Here is what the prominent draft analysts and experts said about Pittman Jr. before the draft:
Dane Brugler, The Athletic (draft guide): “: A three-year starter at USC, Pittman was the “X” receiver in offensive coordinator Graham Harrell’s spread scheme, lining up primarily outside the numbers to the left of the formation. He emerged as the team’s go-to weapon as a senior, doing his best work in the second half of the season (61.4% of his 2019 receiving production) when his team needed a play the most. With his large hands and powerful attack skills, Pittman makes plays over defenders and doesn’t fight the football, recording only two drops on 140 targets in 2019. He is an athletic route runner, but lacks dynamic start/stop burst to quickly create separation or be a consistent YAC threat. Overall, Pittman is a strong-framed pass catcher and although he has only average speed by NFL standards, he wins with physicality and focus at the catch point, projecting as a reliable possession target at all three levels in the NFL.”
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: “Big, smart and reliable, Pittman falls into the “possession receiver” bin, but has top-notch ball skills that allow him to bully and best cornerbacks down the field. Improving release quickness against press will be an early focal point in an NFL camp, but his frame and physicality should create work space underneath even with close coverage. He lacks the speed and separation quickness teams covet from WR1 candidates, but he comes from NFL bloodlines and plays with a pro demeanor. He should be a productive plug-and-play talent at WR2 early in his career.”
Jacob Infante, Draft Wire: “Pittman is a big-bodied wideout with top-notch length, bulk and physicality for the wide receiver position. He has good ball skills and is a surprisingly refined athlete for a player as big as he is. Though he’s still developing, he has the potential to outplay his draft positioning in a stacked receiver class.”
Josh Norris, Rotoworld: “A prospect who I initially had outside of the Top 50, but over the last few weeks stood out when re-watching compared to other “bigger” names. An athletic profile in the 85th percentile at 6-foot-4, winning from a variety of alignments and great ball skills along the sideline on intermediate and vertical passes.”
Kyle Crabbs, The Draft Network: “Michael Pittman Jr projects to the NFL as a stereotypical ‘X’ receiver. With his size and ball skills, Pittman can provide an NFL team with a presence as a possession receiver. Separation is never going to be calling card and lack of consistency there may cause him to be more of a rotational receiver. But his high point ability, hands and body control will afford him plenty of opportunities to make plays in the RZ and, in the right system, push for high volume snaps.”
Mike Renner, Pro Football Focus (draft guide): “You’ll hear me talk about ‘trump cards’ throughout the guide. The basic gist of the concept is that a trump card is a skill that a player possesses that is so far and away dominant that you know it will translate to the NFL. For Pittman, that’s his ball skills. He’s dropped a grand total of five passes on 176 catchable over the course of his career. And that’s at 6-4, 220 pounds with a catch radius as good as anyone else’s in the class. He will be a quarterback’s best friend the way he plucks off-target passes out of the air. Add that to his physical route running ability and you have a fantastic possession receiver prospect.”