There are many reasons the Indianapolis Colts were enamored with wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. throughout the pre-draft process.
One of the traits that intrigued the Colts was Pittman Jr.’s toughness. Offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni believes the rookie’s display of toughness will be felt early on in the Colts offense.
“Tough. That’s the first thing that comes to my mind: tough. … He’s a big-bodied wideout that can consistently win 1-on-1 against all types of corners. Smart — you know, as through the process that we got to see this kid’s smart,” Sirianni told Colts.com.
Pittman Jr. will be competing for the WR2 role as the X receiver in the formation, which should give him somewhat of an advantage over the rest of the room. The offseason makes it difficult for him to get a jump on winning the role, but the Colts have confidence in the USC product.
While Pittman Jr. will be working primarily as the X receiver, Sirianni expects the 6-foot-4 pass catcher to move around plenty.
“He’s gonna be able to move around and give the defense a lot of problems ’cause he’s moving all over the place,” Sirianni said. “I just think about the guys that you’re like, ‘Man, we can’t go into a game without this guy,’ and a common thread that the guys that we always named when we say that, they all have toughness, and that’s what he showed on tape.”
It will be interesting to see how quickly Pittman Jr. can make an impact, but the rookie should be one of the more exciting first-year players to watch.