Michael Pittman Jr. Listed as Under-the-Radar Breakout Candidate

The wide receivers in last year's NFL Draft were considered a historic bunch.

Collegiate Biletnikoff Award candidates abound, the Indianapolis Colts waited their turn and picked one among the pack near the top of the second round in USC's Michael Pittman Jr.

One of the more unheralded names of the group, there was something to the pairing of Pittman and the Colts that made a lot of analysts sit back and say, "I like that!"

Just over a year later and things are going smoothly.

Pittman finished eighth among rookies in receptions (40), targets (61), and receiving yards (503) in 2020, and things look even better heading in 2021.

Recently, Bleacher Report conjured their list of seven of the top under-the-radar breakout candidates across the NFL in 2021, and Pittman made the cut.

While running back Jonathan Taylor would seem to be the obvious choice for an Indianapolis Colts breakout candidate, Michael Pittman Jr. should not be forgotten.

After the Colts took him in the second round last year, Pittman appeared in 13 games, catching 40 of his 61 targets for 503 yards and one score.

Not terrible numbers for a rookie, but keep in mind Pittman did this after an unorthodox first-year onboarding process with no preseason. He also had to work through a ho-hum year of quarterback Philip Rivers adapting to a new team for the first time in his career. Pittman was just fourth on the team's target list, even behind running back Nyheim Hines, whose 76 targets ranked second.

On paper, things should open up with the big-armed Carson Wentz under center now. And it's worth considering that the 6'4" Pittman can be a big-bodied Alshon Jeffery type for the former Philadelphia Eagles passer, allowing Pittman to capitalize on a solid quarterback fit paired with his natural developmental upside for a 2021 breakout.

After missing three games early in the season due to a lower leg injury, Pittman took off following his return.

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He averaged just 3.0 catches on 4.0 targets for 24.3 yards in his first three games, but in his next 11 games (including the postseason) he averaged 3.3 catches on 5.4 targets for 47.0 yards, scored his lone touchdown of the season, and also carried the ball 4 times for 36 yards.

The second half of the season included two games where Pittman had over 100 yards from scrimmage.

Overall, he had modest numbers, but his usage increase was notable as the season progressed.

Looking ahead to 2021, Pittman has a new quarterback in Carson Wentz who he quickly built chemistry with outside of the Colts' team facility. Since then, Wentz has been able to mesh with Pittman and his other teammates on the field during organized team activities.

With the big-armed Wentz under center, it should create more opportunities for plays downfield for Pittman, whose 6'4", 220-pound size and 4.5 speed should allow him to win in plenty of those situations.

Pittman's efforts as a blocker also help keep him on the field most of the time, which should be even more of the case in year two.

His route tree should expand as well as he was primarily given lots of simple routes that allowed him to run after the catch as a rookie (click here for more on Pittman's rookie route tree).

Further development, more playing time, and more targets from a big-armed quarterback should help allow Pittman the opportunity to break out in 2021, as Bleacher Report suggests.

Do you expect Pittman to break out in 2021? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

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