Indianapolis Colts Scouting: Chris McGaha Talks Jacob Eason, Michael Pittman Jr.
INDIANAPOLIS — The process for drafting Washington quarterback Jacob Eason and USC wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. started out with Indianapolis Colts area scout Chris McGaha spending time on the West Coast.
After Eason was selected in the fourth round and Pittman in the second round in April’s NFL draft, McGaha spoke with media in a Zoom video conference call about his scouting reports on both players.
He started watching Eason in August.
“I was actually out at Eastern Washington doing a school visit there and that was their first game of the year, Eastern Washington vs. Washington,” McGaha said. “Watching their tape, I just saw Jacob kind of making throws and jumping off the tape. I actually texted (GM Chris) Ballard then and said, ‘This is a guy I think we need to be talking about.’ I had heard about Jacob. I didn’t know if he would necessarily put his name in (for the draft) at that point, but we kind of got out in front of it and did our homework. (Director of player development) Brian Decker and (assistant GM) Ed Dodds kind of went out, they took a look at him too, and kind of dug into him.
“It actually started in August. It wasn’t really just the last month. He’s a big kid, a big quarterback, he’s athletic, he’s got a big arm. We just think he has a lot of upside. There’s a lot that I think he can bring to the quarterback room. I know (head coach) Frank (Reich) is excited about him. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for him. He’s got Frank. He can learn from Philip (Rivers), and (offensive coordinator) Nick (Sirianni) is obviously great at what he does, and Jacoby (Brissett), too. I think Jacob is stepping into a great opportunity.”
Washington quarterback Jacob Eason talks to reporters at February's NFL Scouting Combine.
Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports
Owner Jim Irsay compared Pittman to retired Colts great Reggie Wayne. McGaha was asked if that is a fair comparison.
“You know I didn’t scout Reggie coming out,” McGaha said. “I watched Reggie live on TV, just like you guys did. I don’t know if I can compare the two like that. I saw Reggie at practice. I just know Michael is a big kid, he’s a reliable target, he’s a physical player, he’s fast, he’s a guy that kind of plays above the rim. He kind of brings an element that we were missing to our wideout room, you know, that big-body presence. I’m really excited about Michael. He’s a kid that I went to USC, I’ve been going there for the last two years now, I’ve been watching Michael a lot up close and personal, watching him play live too. I told this to Chris (Ballard), he’s somebody that watching him in practice I never saw him lose a one-on-one rep. I know that might sound crazy, but it’s true. The coaches at USC, they’re great, they let you stay for the entire practice. So I would really dial in when it was one-on-one time, just to watch him compete, to see what kind of competitor he is. I’m not just kind of saying this, I never saw him lose a one-on-one rep the times I was there for practice. I think that just speaks to his competitiveness.
"He wasn’t a guy, too, that would maybe win a rep and let you know about it. He kind of went about his business. He would win the rep, then jog back to the huddle. I’m really excited about what he can do on really all four downs. … He’s a kid that played special teams all four years. He got his start at USC on special teams as a freshman. He won his spot as a sophomore, beat out an upperclassman as a sophomore, and then kind of just improved from there. I think there’s a lot, a lot, a lot of upside to Michael Pittman.”
USC wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. scores a touchdown against UCLA in November.
Richard Mackson/USA TODAY Sports
How difficult was it to identify wide receivers such as Pittman and sixth-round pick Dezmon Patmon in such a deep class?
“I think you just take it one by one, you know what I mean?” he said. “You kind of just follow the same process for each one, then just allow the tape to speak to you and kind of grade ‘em based on what you see. I don’t know, they’re both kind of similar guys really. It’s funny, we talked about wanting to get bigger at the wideout spot. They’re both kind of similar guys in that they’re bigger receivers. You look at their measurables, they’re pretty similar actually. I know Michael ran a little faster at the combine. Yeah, they both just bring that big presence to us. … As a scout, you follow the same process with each guy and you let the tape lead you to the appropriate grade.”
In his initial chat with media, Eason commented on areas in which he wants to continue to improve, which included football IQ. What did McGaha see from the Huskies quarterback in terms of processing during a play, identifying schemes, blitzes, and protections.
“Yeah, they do a great job out at Washington, they put a lot on his plate,” McGaha said. “He is a guy who I think can deliver from the pocket. I thought you saw him extend plays, too. In terms of processing, he’s good as a processor. I saw him make first, second, third reads and get the ball to the appropriate place. Yeah, I was good with him. I was good with him mentally.”
(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)
