The Indianapolis Colts still have their go-to guy in the wide receiver room, but they used their first pick in the 2020 NFL draft to select Michael Pittman Jr., who they believe can take over that role in the future.
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With T.Y. Hilton here to lead the room at least for the 2020 season—the final year of his current contract—the Colts know they have their leader in the room. Being the go-to guy isn’t easy, but head coach Frank Reich envisions Pittman Jr. holding that role in the future.
“You’ve got to have guys like a T.Y. Hilton who you know can be your dog – he can be your go-to guy. Michael needs to develop into that for us,” Reich said after the draft. “That’s our hope, that is our vision for him.”
Pittman Jr. checks every box the Colts were looking for in a prospect. He might not be a burner in terms of long speed but his combination of size, speed, footwork and length were extremely intriguing as a boundary wide receiver. Add in that he had the most reliable hands among every draft-eligible receiver, and the Colts were hooked from the get-go.
Being the WR1 in the offense isn’t an easy task, but the Colts love the skill set that Pittman Jr. brings to the unit.
“So we see Michael as being an X-receiver and being the kind of guy you can line up and go one-on-one with. Really, the four factors that go into that are size and strength, and speed and quickness,” Reich said. “Michael’s got size, he’s got strength, he’s got good speed for his size, and then he has what we call good-body quickness. He is not a jukey receiver like the small slot receivers you’re seeing, but when you have a big man who has good body quickness – that presents a problem. Then he has excellent ball skills, really good feet for a big man.”
The Colts passing offense should be better by default in 2020 simply because of the projected upgrade in quarterback play in Philip Rivers, but Pittman Jr. should have the chance to make an immediate impact as the X-receiver opposite Hilton.
We don’t know for sure what will happen in the future, but the Colts have plans to make Pittman Jr. their go-to guy eventually.
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