Michael Pittman lands with Colts on Day 2 of NFL Draft

The Indianapolis Colts selected USC football’s Michael Pittman in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Michael Pittman is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

The USC football wide receiver came off the board in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, landing 34th overall

A particularly deep wide receiver class was the only thing stopping Pittman from being one of the top pass catchers available in the draft. While scouts seemed to agree that he would be an excellent professional with the size and hands to succeed, it was by no means certain he would come off the board on Day 1.

He ultimately had to wait until Friday for his name to be called.

Pittman is USC’s 511th draft pick of all time, following teammate Austin Jackson, who was taken by the Dolphins with the 18th overall selection.

Pittman finished his Trojan career with 171 receptions for 2,519 yards and 19 touchdowns. He ranks 12th, 13th, and 14th in USC history respectively.

In 2016, Pittman enrolled at USC as one of the five gifted wide receivers signed by the Trojans that year. He was the only one who saw playing time as a freshman.

Through 13 games, Pittman’s primary role was on special teams. He did catch six passes for 82 yards while serving behind the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Darreus Rogers, and Deontay Burnett.

The start of the 2017 season was slower than hoped for Pittman. While a narrative of mismanagement of his playing time arose because of complaints by his father, Pittman was limited by a sprained ankle he suffered during Fall Camp. After missing the first three games of the season and easing back into action, Pittman took over as a starter in Week 6. All told he had 23 catches for 404 yards, exploding with seven catches for 146 yards in the Pac-12 title game against Stanford. He was voted an All-Pac-12 special teams player.

That was just a taste of what Pittman would become.

In 2018, Pittman led USC with 758 yards and six touchdowns on just 41 catches, despite missing time with a shoulder injury.

Coming off of surgery to fix that aforementioned issue, Pittman saved the best for last. His senior season showcased all of the immense talent he had shown before in bursts. The receiver caught 101 passes for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Outjumping, outmaneuvering, and out-battling opposing defenders, Pittman was a dominant force and won the Pop Warner Award and an All-Pac-12 first-team nod at receiver. He was an All-American second teamer from multiple publications.

Questions about Pittman’s speed were answered at the NFL Combine when he ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash.