Much of the big news surrounding the Indianapolis Colts’ 2020 draft class was headlined by their first pick in wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., but he wasn’t the only receiver they took during the big weekend. They also grabbed Washington State’s Dezmon Patmon.
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A sixth-round pick, Patmon will be competing for the final spot in the wide receiver room whenever the team is permitted to work out together again. It will be an interesting battle, especially since so many players are involved.
Todd McShay of ESPN listed Patmon as one of five “instant-impact Day 3 picks.”
Getting Michael Pittman Jr. in the second round was fantastic, but let’s not discount this sixth-round pick. Chris Ballard continues to show why he’s one of the league’s top GMs with moves like this. For a team lacking at receiver behind the oft-injured T.Y. Hilton, Patmon is the type of player you gamble on late in Round 6. He has 6-4, 225-pound size and good speed, and he found the end zone eight times in 2019 for Washington State.
The Colts have most of the room set. Hilton will work as the WR1 mostly as the Z/flanker in the formation. Pittman Jr. will likely fill in the WR2 role on the depth chart working almost exclusively as the X on the boundary. Zach Pascal and Parris Campbell will battle for the WR3/4 spots. Both players work inside and out, though the latter is more likely to work in the slot.
That leaves roughly four players including Patmon battling for that WR5 role. Special teams will play a major role in that spot, and Patmon’s size and speed make him a strong candidate for that role.
Patmon may be a sixth-round pick, but he has intriguing traits and skills that could be valuable when developed. He didn’t have a whole lot of production in college, but at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, he ran a 4.48. That placed him with a 96th-percentile speed score—a weight-adjusted 40-yard dash formula.
Patmon still has work to do as a receiver and likely won’t make a major impact during his first season, but he can play a role on special teams and make a strong impact there.
He will have plenty of competition, but Patmon is certainly a name to watch whenever the team gets back together.
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