INDIANAPOLIS – Philip Rivers has a new big body toy to work with at the wide receiver position.
With the 34th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Colts took USC wide receiver Michael Pittman in Round Two.
Here are 3 takeaways on Pittman:
1. Big Body Wideout
For months now, we’ve stressed the importance of the Colts finding a bigger body wipeout for Philip Rivers. Well, Pittman gives you that at 6-4 and 223 pounds. Pittman showed off very reliable hands at USC and more than held his own when it came to making plays on 50/50 balls. Remember in last year’s free agency, it was Frank Reich who really wanted a player with the size of Devin Funchess. Reich was a big fan of Pittman and getting this type of body/skillset in the wideout room. While some other wideouts might have had a few more eye-popping testing numbers, Pittman appears to have some Day 1 polish to him. When you produce 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns on 101 catches in a major college football conference, teams are going to take notice. That’s what Pittman did in his final season at USC. When Tee Higgins (a player the Colts were intrigued by) went No. 33 overall, the Colts weren’t in the mood to mess around and trade back.
2. Checks The Boxes
A big reason why I mocked Pittman to the Colts at No. 34 was because he checked so many important traits for the Colts: Team Captain, Senior Bowl participant, special teams background and major football character coming as being the son of an NFL-er. Again, people won’t be ‘wowed’ by Pittman’s testing numbers (like Denzel Mims or Chase Claypool), but let’s not act like he’s a poor athlete for a guy who is 6-4 and 220-plus. He moves very well in short areas and should be able to handle some early press coverage that’s inevitably coming. Pittman just ‘screamed’ Colts fit on several levels and his presence was needed.
3. Addressing the Biggest Need
Simply, there was no bigger need that required immediate addressing than wide receiver this draft. While a short-term impact from Pittman would be massive for this team’s success in 2020, let’s not forget about long-term either. This draft bringing the Colts a future No. 1 wideout is something that would offer this team a huge jolt in giving that future franchise QB a trustworthy weapon for years to come. Like A.J. Brown (Tennessee) or Deebo Samuel (San Francisco) or D.K. Metcalf (Seattle) from last year, the Colts would benefit greatly from Pittman being a Day One producer for Philip Rivers.
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