The Indianapolis Colts selected a raw, big-bodied receiver in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft with Dezmon Patmon. While there was some excitement among the fanbase for his rookie season, he ended up only playing just two snaps in the entire year.
So with essentially a redshirt year for the young receiver, what are reasonable expectations for Patmon? In today's film room, I dive into the college film and see what traits Patmon brings to the Colts' wide receiver room.
Upside on Film
Patmon is built much different than most receivers, standing at 6'4" 225 pounds. Patmon also tested as an elite athlete, running a 4.48 second forty yard dash, jumping a 36 inch vertical jump, and jumping a 132 inch broad jump. In college, he totaled 156 receptions for 1,976 yards and 13 touchdowns.
With his great size and speed, Patmon projects well as a player who can win over the middle. The middle of the field is a dangerous area for pass catchers but he has the size to protect himself and make difficult catches in traffic. This slant is a great example, as he takes the big hit and still continues upfield for a positive gain.
His speed shows up on film too. A 4.48 second forty time isn't overly impressive but for a 6'4" receiver, it is a great trait to have. On this play, he catches the underneath pass and outruns the angle of the safety for the touchdown.
The Colts lack juice in their wide receiver room. T.Y Hilton isn't the receiver that he once was and Parris Campbell simply can't stay healthy. If Patmon can prove to be that vertical receiver, it would be huge for the offense.
Patmon has an excellent combination of size and speed that allows him to work vertical against man coverage. He stacks well on this play and uses his hands to break contact to create separation. This rep also comes against (now) New York Giants' cornerback Darnay Holmes so it was against top competition.
The vertical ability is truly the best thing that Patmon can bring to the Colts' roster at the moment. It wasn't consistent on his college film, but there was enough in flashes to bring excitement.
On this play, Patmon wins inside quickly and is able to work the skinny post with ease. He creates easy separation at the top of his route and hauls in the long catch for the score.
Final Thoughts
Patmon has interesting traits and upside that should excite Colts' fans. There was a reason why he was redshirted last season, though. He had inconsistent hands on film, and it was one of the reasons why he wasn't as productive in college as a typical receiver with his size profile.
He also struggled a bit with his releases against physical cornerbacks off of the line of scrimmage. This issue would have led to issues as a rookie that could have hurt the young receiver's confidence. Here is what (now) Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson had to say about facing Patmon and the Washington State offense in 2019:
They weren’t physical receivers at all. They liked to do a lot of juking if you played so far off, so just being able to play closer to them meant they couldn’t do all that juking and releasing stuff they wanted to do at the line. I just wanted to play tighter and speed up their release.
Luckily, Patmon had a year on the roster to work at these flaws and improve. The fact that the Colts' kept him throughout the year despite rarely playing him speaks volumes to how they view his potential.
I don't know what to truly expect out of Patmon in year two, but it is time to get him on the field to show off his top traits. After a year to refine his craft, he has to be ready for the NFL challenge.
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