The pride of Southern California is headed to the Midwest.
Michael Pittman, Jr., son of former NFL running back Michael Pittman, was taken by the Colts with their first pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, #34 overall.
The big-bodied wideout figures to provide an instant impact for Philip Rivers and the Colts’ aerial attack. During his junior and senior seasons as a USC Trojan, Pittman combined for over 2,000 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. He only dropped a total of five passes in four years of college ball.
The sure-handed Pittman joined The Ride with JMV yesterday to preview his role on the Colts and what it was like growing up in an NFL environment.
First things first: Was Pittman surprised that the Colts snatched him at 34 overall?
“I had some talks with [the Colts]. I knew that I had a good chance of getting picked right there, so I thought that if they didn’t take me there, then they would’ve taken me at 44…it wasn’t like I was expecting it, but I thought that I had a good chance, yes.”
JMV asked Pittman to describe himself, and how his game translates to the NFL. What came out of the receiver’s mouth was simply music to Colts fans’ ears:
“I think that I’m tough, physical, and I have great hands. And it translates to the NFL because I’ve been living that NFL life ever since I was born because my dad played pro. I’m just ready to play…there’s no job that is too small, whether it’s special teams, offense, anything. So, [I’m] ready to roll.”
Now that’s how to say all the right things.
Pittman and JMV went on to chat about what the receiver learned from his father regarding the game of football.
“The most important thing that he’s ever taught me is that football is not personal,” Pittman said. “No one is out there trying to get you and stuff. Sometimes coaches have to make tough choices, and it just might not go your way. But that doesn’t mean that you just fold and sit down, you have to keep on working for your next opportunity.”
What will it be like having veteran Philip Rivers throw Pittman the ball?
“I can’t wait,” Pittman told JMV. “That was probably one of the best things to happen, is Philip Rivers ending up [in Indy] and [the Colts] picking me. He has been playing with bigger guys basically his whole career, whether it was Antonio Gates or Mike Williams…so he likes his big targets.”
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