The Indianapolis Colts made their first selection of the 2020 NFL Draft and took wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. from USC.
Pittman Jr. offers a unique combination of size and speed and will fit in well into Frank Reich’s offense as a guy who can really go up and get it.
At 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds, Pittman Jr. will be a matchup problem for many corners across the league and will give newly-acquired Colts quarterback Philip Rivers a reliable target.
Rivers had a pair of reliable targets in LA with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Both guys showed the ability to catch any ball thrown to them anywhere on the field and Pittman Jr. can be compared to both of those players. Another element he adds is a unique ability to catch balls in man coverage while his physicality and athleticism allow him to win downfield.
In fact, Pittman Jr. has the lowest drop percentage of any receiver in the draft at 2.7%. This will give the Colts a safety net as they try to rebrand their offense into a larger down-field threat. Pittman Jr. will add that element and more.
As far as the rest of the receiving corps, Pittman Jr. will fit in nicely with the speedy threats of T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell. Where the Colts love to utilize underneath routes, Pittman Jr. adds more routes to the playbook and can make plays happen after the catch. His versatility will be a nice addition to the room.
The coaching staff and Colts fans should be very excited about this selection, but nobody should be more excited than Rivers. He gets a dynamic receiver who can change an offense as the Colts are still building for the future in this draft.
