Michael Pittman Jr. Named Breakout Candidate for Colts

Even though training camp for NFL teams is still a month away, now is the time of year when everyone tries to predict who will have a big season.

It’s always a fun exercise to take a look at a team’s young players before the year begins and try to determine who could make a huge impact and become a focal point of their team’s success.

For the Indianapolis Colts, a popular pick seems to be the wide receiver formerly out of USC who looks poised to have a major sophomore season.

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox came out with his list of every NFL team’s breakout candidate for the 2021 season. For the Colts, this happened to be Michael Pittman Jr.

While Pittman did not start his rookie season on a particularly high note as he suffered from compartment leg syndrome, he sure ended the year strong. In his final eight games, he tallied 368 yards and a touchdown. Pittman was also the Colts’ leading receiver in their playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, racking up five catches for 90 yards.

He looks to build upon a strong end to his rookie year. At 6’4”, 223, he possesses a large frame that can move the chains and has an incredible ability to create yards after the catch, leading to chunk plays. Pittman also has some of the best hands on the entire team, allowing quarterbacks to trust that he will come down with the ball.

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Speaking of quarterbacks, much of Pittman’s success will be determined by how he works with new Colts signal-caller Carson Wentz. Wentz and Pittman have already worked together this offseason, and from their short time working together they seem to be clicking pretty quickly. As their relationship and chemistry continue to grow, this only bodes well for Pittman having a breakout year.

Another reason to be optimistic about him heading into this year is that while he has shown great potential, he still has plenty of things that he can work on to become a top wide receiver.

Most of Pittman’s production last year came on short crossers and slants that took advantage of his run-after-catch ability. An area that wasn’t utilized as much was his ability to win deep or be a major red-zone threat for the Colts. As he continues to progress, look for head coach Frank Reich to dial up more shots for Pittman as Wentz is not afraid to give his receiver a chance and throw the ball deep.

As for where Pittman stacks up on the Colts’ depth chart, look for them to give him as much run as possible. He should start the season as WR2 with the Colts making him a much more focal part of the offense in hopes that he can take that next step.

If Pittman takes the next step in his development and has a breakout season, we could be looking at another future Pro Bowler and WR1 for the Colts.

Do you expect Pittman to break out in 2021? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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