Insider: Colts' Michael Pittman Jr. wants to prove to everybody he's a No. 1 receiver

INDIANAPOLIS — Michael Pittman Jr. is on a mission.

Again.

Before last season, Pittman Jr. set a simple, but lofty goal — he wanted to double his stats in every major category after a 40-catch, 503-yard rookie season that produced flashes but only one touchdown.

Pittman Jr. responded by ripping off 88 catches, 1,082 yards and six touchdowns, fully establishing himself as the heir apparent the Colts have been trying to find to fill the No. 1 receiver role left open by T.Y. Hilton.

But Pittman Jr. is not satisfied, and the third-year wide receiver is aware he still has critics, voices who doubt his ability to be a true No. 1 receiver in the NFL.

More: Colts still discussing possibility of adding veteran WR like T.Y. Hilton

This year, he has his aim set squarely on convincing them.

“I’m just trying to take the next step,” Pittman Jr. said. “Last year, I said that I was going to double every single category, and I did that. This year, I’m trying to build on that and become that definite Receiver No. 1 that everybody talks about.”

Pittman Jr., the NFL-savvy son of the long-time Cardinals and Buccaneers running back, knows this goal is going to be harder to hit.

The target is always moving.

For some, a true No. 1 wide receiver is determined by numbers. For others, it’s about the physical tools, the ability to make plays down the field. For a third group, it’s about carving out a place among the top 10-15 receivers in the NFL.

“Everybody has their own definition,” Pittman Jr. said. “I think I am that (No. 1 receiver). I’ve just got to go ahead and prove that to other people, with whatever they think it is, whether it’s yards, touchdowns, whatever. I’m just trying to make that next jump.”

The addition of Matt Ryan is probably going to help.

Pittman Jr. caught 55 passes for 729 yards and five touchdowns in the Colts’ first 10 games, including a half-dozen highlight-reel catches down the field that showed his explosive capabilities.

As the Indianapolis offense became more and more run-heavy, in part because of Jonathan Taylor’s emergence as a superstar and in part because of Carson Wentz’s unpredictability, Pittman Jr.’s chances to make plays down the field dwindled.

Pittman Jr.’s catches overall didn’t drop much, dipping from 5.5 per game in the first 10 to 4.7 in the final seven, but his yards per reception dropped from 13.3 to 10.7, and he scored just one touchdown the rest of the way.

Another run-heavy shift isn’t likely with Ryan at the helm, and the veteran quarterback is also expected to be much more accurate and willing to throw over the middle, opening up possibilities for Pittman Jr. to make big plays on the run, the way he did as a rookie while working with Philip Rivers.

But Pittman Jr. believes deeply it’s not only up to Ryan to help him prove he’s a true No. 1 target. The broken plays, the jump balls that Pittman Jr. made his signature in the first half of the season are fun.

There are also a lot of routine-looking throws that can be turned into more big, game-changing plays.

“Top of route stuff, working on route discipline, because sometimes you go out there and you just start playing football,” Pittman Jr. said. “And yes, I like to make plays like that, but you want to stay on QB timing, because it just helps everybody else flow.”

That fits with Pittman Jr.’s other goal this offseason.

Now that he’s established himself as the Colts’ No. 1 wide receiver, Pittman Jr. knows he has to play a larger role in the development of the young guys Indianapolis has put around him in the wide receiver room.

Unless the Colts sign Hilton sometime this summer, Pittman Jr. heads into his third season as the most accomplished wide receiver on the team, a player whose voice can help second-round pick Alec Pierce and unknown commodities such as Michael Strachan and Dezmon Patmon develop.

“Trying to be a team leader now, now that I’m kind of the older guy that’s in that room now,” Pittman Jr. said. “I’m only going into Year 3 now, but I’m the elder.”

Pittman Jr. is only 24, but he’s been in this position before.

When he was starring at USC, Pittman Jr. was backed up by players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, the up-and-coming slot receiver who caught 90 passes for the Lions last season, and Drake London, the first receiver picked in April’s draft, snapped up by the Falcons with the No. 8 pick.

Pittman Jr. played a role in their development.

A role he thinks he can play for the Colts.

“I like to think that I know how to help players come up and build,” Pittman Jr. said with a smile.

Pittman Jr. proved he could do it himself in Indianapolis last season.

Now, he wants to take the rest of the Colts receivers with him.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts' Michael Pittman Jr. wants to prove to everybody he's a No. 1 WR