The Indianapolis Colts selected Michael Pittman, Wide Receiver, out of the University of Southern California (USC). He was the 34th overall pick in the second round and was the eighth wide receiver drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Biography
Michael Pittman is 6’4” and 223 pounds. He played four years at Southern California and will be 22 years old at the beginning of the 2020 NFL season. Pittman has NFL bloodlines. He is the son of former Arizona Cardinal and Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back and 2002 Super Bowl Champion, Michael Pittman Sr.
College Production
Michael Pittman broke out at the age of 21 (age during their first season with a 20% receiving dominator rating) in his third season for the Trojans. Pittman’s best season was his senior season at 22 years old. Pittman had 101 receptions, for 1,275 receiving yards, and 11 scrimmage touchdowns for a receiving dominator rating (average percentage of their team’s receiving yards and receiving touchdowns) of 30.3% (44th percentile). Pittman had OK age-adjusted production but had a dominant final season. He averaged 632.0 scrimmage yards (51st percentile) and 4.8 scrimmage touchdowns (47th percentile) per season for an average scrimmage dominator rating (average percentage of their team’s scrimmage yards and scrimmage touchdowns) per season of 10.9% (45th percentile). Pittman was efficient on a per catch basis averaging 15.6 yards per reception. Pittman wasn’t as efficient from a per play perspective and averaged 0.71 scrimmage yards per team play (52nd percentile). Pittman occasionally contributed to special teams and enjoyed some success. He had 11 returns, for 187 return yards, and one return touchdown.
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Athleticism
[profiler]MichaelPittman[/profiler]
Michael Pittman has an elite height-adjusted speed score of 111.2 (93rd percentile) after running a 4.52-second 40-yard time at the NFL Combine. He has an above-average burst score of 122.6 (59th percentile) and a satisfactory agility score, considering his size, of 11.10 (37th percentile). Pittman is a big, physical wide receiver with excellent speed and burst for his size. He will look to use his speed and physicality to win against NFL defenders at the next level.
NFL Landing Spot
Indianapolis Colts: Definitely a winner in the 2020 offseason. Bringing in Philip Rivers and his career 95.1 passer rating should be what this team needs to take the next step. Rivers 2019 was awful, but it was also in a year where the entire Chargers took a major step back. Worth noting is that in 2018 Rivers carried a 105.5 passer rating and targeted all parts of the field well. In 2019, the Colts ended as the 17th ranked offense. They threw with the fifth least frequency, clearly hampered by Jacoby Brissett’s uninspired play and injuries to key role players. This roster boasts a pair of gifted wide receivers in T.Y Hilton and 2019 second round pick, Parris Campbell. 2018 UDFA Zach Pascal was a surprise in relief of Hilton and Campbell last season, who combined to miss 15 games, leading the team with 72 targets. The depth chart behind those three is practically nonexistent. Rivers should succeed with this group based on his success targeting the intermediate part of the field where a majority of their routes were run. However, T.Y. Hilton hasn’t played a full season in two years, is 30 years old and will be a free agent after the season. Campbell certainly commanded a lot of draft stock, but the injury plagued freshman campaign makes him not only an unknown, but also a risky bet to rely on as a possible WR1 option past the 2020 season. There is a lot of wiggle room for a wide receiver to come in and thrive with the Colts given the injury prone nature of their stars.
Rivals’ Rapid Analysis
Michael Pittman is a later breakout wide receiver that had two decent years of production, from a market share perspective, to end his career. Pittman, a sure-handed wide receiver, will look to win with his speed, size, and physicality in the NFL. He should be able to excel in contested catch situations and in the redzone. The Indianapolis Colts invested significant draft capital into Pittman. He should have an excellent opportunity in Indianapolis and will compete with Hilton, Campbell, and Doyle for targets from Phillip Rivers.
Michael Pittman is in Dave’s second or third wide receiver tier depending on a few other wide receiver landing spots. Pittman is his rookie WR7-9, and his rookie 15-18 overall. Dave would target Pittman in the mid-second round of superflex rookie drafts (early second round in single QB). Pittman had a later breakout and OK age-adjusted production for such an athletically gifted wide receiver. While he was slow to start producing in college, Pittman came on in a big way in his final two years at USC. With the Colts investing such high draft capital in him, Pittman should have an excellent shot at an early opportunity in Indianapolis with Philip Rivers, TY Hilton, and Parris Campbell. He falls in the same range as Tee Higgins in rookie drafts, however, he doesn’t have quite the same level of college production and pedigree as Higgins. Pittman is a solid pick in the mid-second round of superflex drafts and should have WR3 potential in fantasy leagues.
Michael Pittman is in Shawn’s second wide receiver tier, Shawn’s WR6, and Shawn’s Overall Rookie Rank 14. Shawn would target Pittman in the early-to-mid second round in superflex rookie drafts (Early second round in single QB). This is a great landing spot for a big-bodied, sure-handed receiver like Pittman. The dominance he showed during his final year at USC should translate into great production now that Philip Rivers is under center. The Colts did pass with one of the lower frequencies of any team in 2019, but Rivers coming in will surely change that, as this team looks to get more aggressive after a clear upgrade at QB. Hilton and Campbell are clearly the incumbents here, and unknown commodity Pascal did show some pop last year. But make no mistake, the Colts took him this high to feature him. With the injury history to Campbell and Hilton, and Hilton hitting the road after this year, the door is wide open for Pittman to use his monster frame and reliable hands to establish a quick rapport with Rivers in the endzone and carve out some great targets for a team looking to become more pass heavy and in need of consistency at WR.
This article was written in collaboration with Shawn Kennedy. For more analysis check out Dave and Shawn’s previous articles at Dynasty Football Factory. Additionally, you can also find Dave’s dynasty superflex rankings at Dynasty Football Factory. Stay tuned for more rookie wide receiver rapid reaction articles from us throughout the entire NFL Draft. We will also give you instant reactions for priority UDFA wide receivers to help you try and find the next Adam Thielen. Interact with Dave and Shawn on Twitter @ff_spaceman and @ff_walrus. You can listen to our rivalry on our podcast @ATaleofTwoRivals with @ff_banterman.
Information found in this article was gathered from @ff_spaceman’s College Prospect Database, PlayerProfiler.com, Sports-Reference.com, AirYards.com, and a prospect’s college team website.
