The 2020 wide receiver class is rumored to be the best – and deepest – wide receiver class in NFL history. Thus, it might be easy for top-tier talent to slip through the cracks in the NFL Draft.
USC wide receiver product Michael Pittman Jr., however, doesn’t believe that will happen to him.
“Everybody is just speculating on what teams think, and nobody really knows,” Pittman said on The Zach Gelb Show. “Personally, I don’t think that I’m a sleeper. I think that I’m a top-tier guy. That’s not me trying to be cocky or me bashing other guys. I just think that I worked hard enough and I’ve shown enough to be in that category. I think I have potential to surprise people. Whatever happens on draft day, I’m going to be happy about it. And if it doesn’t happen how I want it, then I’m just going to prove people wrong. Either way, it’s going to work out.”
Many draft analysts believe six wide receivers, or more, could go in the first round. Indeed, from CeeDee Lamb to Jerry Jeudy, from Henry Ruggs III to Justin Jefferson, wideouts figure to fly off the board early.
Pittman, who caught 101 balls for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, believes he’s the best of the bunch.
“I feel like any guy that says no doesn’t believe in their abilities, so yeah, I do think that I’m the best,” he said. “I think I bring a lot to the table. I don’t really ever talk about other guys. I focus on me and focus on what I can do.”
Pittman is the son of former running back Michael Pittman, who helped Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl title in 2002. Whenever Pittman Jr. goes off the board – some say he’s a first-round talent – it’ll be a special moment.
“I have been dreaming about that day forever,” he said. “That would be a dream come true. It’s almost like a legacy thing. My dad got drafted, now I’m going to get drafted, I pray that my younger brother gets drafted, and then my younger, younger brother so it’s almost like we’re passing the torch around. I feel like it’s going to be a great day.”
While he – and his father – both played offense, Pittman grew up idolizing a lot of defensive players. Aside from Calvin Johnson, his favorite players as a kid were Ray Lewis, Brian Dawkins, Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu.
“I just like the take-your-head-off mentality that those guys have,” Pittman said. “That’s something that I’ve always tried to emulate and give that mentality and take it to offense and take it to special teams. I’ve always wanted to play defense, too, and go both ways. I try to put that in and use that mentality.”