What You Need To Know:

• Pittman, at 6’4, 223 pounds, is coming off a highly productive season at USC.
• He arrived as a Round 2 pick a year after Indy took Parris Campbell in Round 2. The rookie projects in a starting outside spot in year 1.
• If Philip Rivers can play at his pre-2019 level, Pittman will carry TD upside — and a shot at spot-start value.

College background

Pittman Jr. was 1 of the most productive receivers in the country last year. He ranked 4th in catches, 10th in receiving yards and 19th in TDs. He caught at least 6 balls in 10 of his 13 outings and topped 100 yards 5 times, including in 4 of his last 6 games.

He benefitted from playing in a USC passing game that ranked 5th in yards and 12th in TDs. But Pittman Jr. still registered solid market shares: 27.7% of the team’s receptions, 29.2% of the yards and 31.4% of the TDs. Those marks rank 8th, 12th and 13th among 23 of this year’s top WR prospects.

Pittman Jr. was named a 2nd-team All-American and a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award (nation’s top WR).

That was a culmination of a 4-year career that saw Pittman improve his numbers each season. The son of former Cardinals, Bucs and Broncos RB Michael Pittman, Junior was a 4-star recruit after posting a massive 81-1,990-24 line in his final high school campaign.

He totaled just 29 catches across his first 2 years on campus, playing behind guys like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Deontay Burnett. Pittman made an impact on special teams, though, and was named 2017 All-Pac-12 first team as a special teams player.

It’s worth noting that Pittman missed the first 3 games of the 2017 campaign after spraining his ankle in fall camp.

He earned a bigger role on offense as a junior, leading USC in receiving yards, tying for the team lead in TDs and ranking 3rd in catches. And that was despite missing 1 game with a left shoulder injury that required offseason surgery.

Immediate role

The…