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17 for '17: Michael Pittman

Our countdown of USC’s most intriguing players to watch in spring practice continues. Note: This is a list of guys who have the most to gain and are best positioned to do so.

For each player, we examine the depth chart, back story, outlook, key questions and how their role could swing in spring.

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3. MICHAEL PITTMAN

Profile: 6-4, 210, sophomore

Current pecking order: He is a favorite to be a starting outside receiver, competing with the likes of Jalen Greene, Tyler Vaughns and Josh Imatorbhebhe.

Background: Pittman flipped his commitment from UCLA in the summer of 2015 and arrived the following spring at USC amid great intrigue, beyond his father being a former NFL running back. For starters, Pittman had spent so much time playing defense in high school that he was considered pretty raw as a receiver. He’s also a true 6-foot-4, making him the tallest prep receiver USC had signed since Kyle Prater in 2010. While Prater didn’t pan out as a Trojan, a line of big wideouts have starred for the program in the recent past. The thought inevitably became, Is Pittman next? He was the lone receiver among five who signed with USC in 2016 to not redshirt. Arriving in January surely helped, only Pittman missed nearly all of spring practice with a collarbone fracture. The potential he showed in training camp (as well as during his brief time in spring) better explains why he was singled out. Pittman looked the part of a very good receiver, using his body and football savvy to defeat smaller defensive backs in practice. He was mostly relegated to special teams last year, where he had his moments both good and bad. There were really just two games in which he appeared while USC was still willing to throw the ball: Arizona State and Oregon. Sure enough, Pittman collected six catches for 82 yards between those contests, which accounted for all of his catches and yards for the season. He also returned a half-dozen kickoffs and punts.

Outlook: Pittman has a clear path to being a primary receiving target in this offense. USC is starving for production from its wideouts, to the point that Deontay Burnett could slide outside from the slot if it means getting another slot receiver on the field who will carry more slack. Burnett is easily the top receiver on the roster as of now and has the versatility to play multiple spots. Pittman, obviously, is a classic fit outside and will be given every opportunity to occupy one of those two spots. It will be interesting to see what he picked up in the way of practice habits from predecessors JuJu Smith-Schuster and Darreus Rogers, who treated their days at Howard Jones Field as if it were a Saturday in the Coliseum. Pittman was a longshot to surpass them on the depth chart, so you can forgive his modest production as a rookie — to his credit, he recorded seven tackles on special teams. But as things stand his stiffest competition is himself. He had an uneven opening week of spring practice, dropping more passes than I could remember at any point last year. Perhaps he was pressing. Coach Clay Helton noted he wasn’t completely healthy and that he appreciated the mental toughness he exhibited by not sitting out. The next four weeks figure to be different. Maybe they’ll be the start to something we’ve seen before.

Key questions: What type of rapport does he have with Sam Darnold? In what ways will he improve with more reps? Can he be the top receiver on the team?

Swing potential: He can solidify himself as a starter, and maybe even a go-to target, or leave the door open for someone else to earn a spot outside in the fall.

Discuss on Trojan Talk

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17 FOR '17

No. 17: Andrew Vorhees

No. 16: Chris Hawkins

No. 15: Jamel Cook

No. 14: Vavae Malepeai

No. 13: Clayton Johnston

Bonus: Michael Brown

No. 12: Daniel Imatorbhebhe

No. 11: Josh Fatu

No. 10: Jordan Iosefa

No. 9: Deontay Burnett

No. 8: Marlon Tuipulotu

No. 7: Roy Hemsley & John Houston

No. 6: Chuma Edoga

No. 5: Jack Sears

No. 4: Matt Fink

No. 2: Jack Jones

No. 1: Vaughns, Imatorbhebhe & Jones

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