When the Indianapolis Colts selected wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, many believed it was a solid fit because of the type of receiver Philip Rivers loves to target.
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When looking at Rivers’ history, a trend became obvious. He loves to target big-bodied wide receivers who move well on the outside. One of them was Vincent Jackson, who played with Rivers from 2005–2011 in San Diego.
If Jackson could give Pittman Jr. some advice, it would be to prepare for some downfield bombs.
“Oh man,” Jackson told CBS Sports in a recent interview. “I would say just run as fast as you can. Philip is going to throw a bomb. He knows how to bomb it every single time, so just run.”
Pittman Jr. brings size, length and excellent footwork on the outside. He has extremely sticky hands and his 4.52 in the 40-yard dash shows he moves well for a player his size.
Jackson has heard the comparisons and even though he sees a bright future for the USC product, he isn’t ready to crown Pittman Jr. as the next Vincent Jackson.
“Yeah I’ve seen a little bit about that,” Jackson said. “He’s definitely comparable but maybe not quite a Vincent Jackson just yet.”
Pittman Jr. should be able to find his way into the WR2 spot on the depth chart behind T.Y. Hilton quickly. Historically, it takes rookie wide receivers a bit to get situated in the league before making an impact and that might especially be true this year because of the pandemic sweeping the nation.
But if Pittman Jr. can eventually fill the role of Vincent Jackson on the outside for Rivers, the Colts will be extremely happy.
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