Throughout the pre-draft process, there were several factors leading wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. being vastly regarded as the perfect prospect for the Indianapolis Colts. One of them was his ability to catch the football.
While that may sound odd that a wide receiver is lauded for doing the main objective of his role, there appears to be a difference with Pittman Jr. in the eyes of offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni.
“Yeah, we go work him out when he goes through the draft process and see him catch, but it’s really comforting to see how strong his hands are and how good his hands are,” Sirianni told reporters last week. “He has great hands. As we all know, the major requirement for that position is being able to catch a football, and Michael sure can do that.”
One of Pittman Jr.’s dominating traits was his catch rate throughout college. He had the lowest drop rate of any receiver in the 2020 draft. Mix that with his size, speed and contested-catch ability and it was easy to see why the Colts wanted to bring him in as the X receiver.
That size is what will likely allow Pittman Jr. to grab a role early in the offense. At 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds while running a 4.52, the Colts don’t really have that type of athleticism on the roster. Rookie wideouts take a little longer to get acclimated, but the Colts are still expecting early impact.
Sirianni says the size Pittman Jr. has sneaks up on defenders, which plays into his benefit.
“He’s a big man. He’s big,” said Sirianni. “You see him in that pre-draft work – obviously, this year was a little different because you couldn’t go out as much – but you see him at the combine, this and that, but you don’t realize he’s a big man. That’s obviously been my first impressions.”
The Colts receiver corps needs a bounce-back campaign after most of the room was injured in 2019. The rookie in Pittman Jr. is expected to be part of the key group that helps the unit return to form in 2020.