Colts Rookie Wide Receiver Dezmon Patmon Joins Philip Rivers’ Throwing Sessions

Upon arrival this week in Indianapolis, sixth-round selection Dezmon Patmon has already started his participation in quarterback Philip Rivers’ throwing sessions. The Colts wide receiver was working out in California with fellow draftees Michael Pittman Jr. and Jacob Eason.

INDIANAPOLIS — His transition from Southern California to Indianapolis has sped up this week as Indianapolis Colts rookie wide receiver Dezmon Patmon began catching passes in informal workouts from quarterback Philip Rivers.

Patmon, who was working out in California with fellow Colts picks Michael Pittman Jr. and Jacob Eason, concedes he can’t help but get excited to finally team up with Rivers, a 17th-year pro who played the previous 16 seasons with the Chargers organization.

“He’s been in the league since I was probably in elementary school, so it’s pretty cool,” Patmon said on a Tuesday Zoom video conference call. “Phil, he’s obviously done his thing for X-amount of years. He’s probably a future Hall-of-Famer, so it’s great catching passes from him. He’s my new quarterback, so it’s great going out there and getting that chemistry.”

Building that quarterback-receiver relationship is imperative, especially for the sixth-round selection out of Washington State, who didn’t have the benefit of offseason mini-camps and has been eager to get to work.

“You can do all the Zoom classes you want all day and everything, but it’s different when you actually get a chance to go out there and run it and get the muscle memory down and stuff like that,” Patmon said of the virtual offseason training activities routine. “It’s beneficial when you actually have guys you can go through stuff like that.”

That’s why hooking up with Pittman, a Colts second-round selection, and Eason, a fourth-round pick, was important.

“I (was in) San Diego and Eason and (Michael) Pittman Jr. (were) up in L.A.,” he said. “That is like an hour, hour and a half away from each other. I mean we are all part of the draft class this year. It’s better learning by doing stuff and actually being able to run routes like that instead of sitting on Zoom calls all day just looking at plays drawn up.

"We just went out there – just being able to go out there with those guys and actually get chemistry, run through the actual plays, and learn it better.”

This is just the second time Patmon has been to Indianapolis, the other at February’s NFL Scouting Combine. Patmon, at 6-4 and 225, fits the Colts’ desired need for bigger, stronger pass-catchers. But before he gets on the field, he understands the importance of studying.

“I would say first and foremost just learning the playbook,” he said. “If you don’t know the plays, then you’re not going to be able to go out there and actually compete. You’re going to have to know the plays and coaches are going to have to feel comfortable putting you out there to go on the field. So first and foremost, just learning the playbook.

“Second, I would like to control my body better, but I feel like that is everyone. Everyone always has to find ways to get better in everything that they do. Playing true to my size and getting faster, in and out of breaks quicker, stuff like that is always on my checklist of things to get better at. But definitely number one, learning the plays.”

Longtime NFL draft analyst Todd McShay of ESPN praised Colts general manager Chris Ballard for making the Patmon selection.

"Getting Michael Pittman Jr. in the second round was fantastic, but let's not discount this sixth-round pick,” McShay wrote. “Chris Ballard continues to show why he's one of the league's top GMs with moves like this. For a team lacking at receiver behind the oft-injured T.Y. Hilton, Patmon is the type of player you gamble on late in Round 6. He has 6-4, 225-pound size and good speed, and he found the end zone eight times in 2019 for Washington State."

(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)