Michael Pittman Jr. Drafted by Colts: Indianapolis' Depth Chart After Round 1

Scott Polacek @@ScottPolacekFeatured ColumnistApril 24, 2020

Southern California wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. during an NCAA football game against Utah on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Kyusung Gong/Associated Press

The Indianapolis Colts added a potential game-breaking wide receiver at the 2020 NFL draft Friday.

Indianapolis selected USC's Michael Pittman Jr. with the No. 34 overall pick, giving it one of college football's best playmakers from the past season.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller projected him as a third-round pick in an April mock draft, and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com noted "He lacks the speed and separation quickness teams covet from WR1 candidates" after he ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at the combine.

Depth Chart

QB: Philip Rivers, Jacoby Brissett

RB: Marlon Mack, Jordan Wilkins

WR 1: T.Y. Hilton

WR 2: Michael Pittman Jr.

WR 3: Zach Pascal, Parris Campbell

TE: Jack Doyle, Matt Lengel

LT: Anthony Castonzo, Chaz Green

LG: Quenton Nelson, Jake Eldrenkamp

C: Ryan Kelly

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RG: Mark Glowinski, Javon Patterson

RT: Braden Smith, Le'Raven Clark

Depth chart info provided by Ourlads and Over the Cap.

Pittman's journey to the NFL began when he arrived at USC as a 4-star recruit and the No. 8 overall receiver in the 2016 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He was a nonfactor as a freshman and secondary contributor as a sophomore, but he was a key piece of the Trojans' offense the last two years.

He finished his junior campaign with 41 catches for 758 yards and six touchdowns and then turned heads as a senior with 101 catches for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns.

USC looked to target him in the red zone because of his ability to high-point passes at 6'4", but he was also physical enough to break away from tackles in the open field and turn short passes into big plays.

Despite his impressive collegiate career, Pittman is also part of a deep class at wide receiver.

The Colts have plenty of room for improvement in an aerial attack that was 30th in the league in passing yards per game last season. Pittman gives new quarterback Philip Rivers a big target when the team gets into the red zone who can help the passing game make necessary strides.