Antonio Pittman

Pittman is a strong inside runner with the valid foot speed and change of direction agility to make the initial tackler miss. A two-year starter at Ohio State, he is known for his ball security, having turned the ball over only two times during his career on 557 rushing attempts. He has also proven to be an adequate safety valve as a receiver coming out of the backfield. Pittman was a standout performer at Buchtel High School. He earned All-Ohio honors as a senior, despite being bothered all year by a turf toe injury that would sideline him for three games. He still managed to lead the team with 1,300 yards rushing, averaging more than 12.0 yards per carry while rushing for 17 touchdowns. Pittman enrolled at Ohio State in time to compete during 2004 spring drills, giving him a jump-start to be able to play in 10 games as a reserve tailback. A thigh bruise in his collegiate debut vs. Cincinnati would force Pittman to miss the Marshall game, but he still finished second on the team with 381 yards and a touchdown on 72 carries (5.3 avg). He added 26 yards on six catches and also made a stop behind the line of scrimmage with a solo tackle. Pittman took over feature tailback duties in 2005, starting all 12 games. He ranked fifth in the Big Ten Conference in rushing, averaging 110.92 yards per game. He picked up a career-high 1,331 yards with seven touchdowns on 243 attempts (5.5 avg) and ranked fourth on the team with 17 receptions for 161 yards (9.5 avg). He also ranked ninth in the conference with an average of 124.3 all-purpose yards per game. The talented tailback was named first-team All-Big Ten by the league's coaches in 2006. He was limited in spring and fall camps with a hamstring injury, but started all 13 games, leading the team for the second consecutive year with 242 rushes for 1,233 yards (5.1 avg) and 14 touchdowns. He caught 14 passes for 127 yards (9.1 avg) and scored 84 points while amassing 1,360 all-purpose yards. In 35 games at Ohio State, Pittman started 25 times. He totaled 2,945 yards with 22 touchdowns on 557 carries (5.3 avg). He gained 314 yards on 37 receptions (8.5 avg) and scored 132 points. He also made two solo tackles and piled up 3,259 all-purpose yards, an average of 93.11 yards per game.

understands the game, but is not the type who puts in extra hours watching film...good inside runner, but needs to improve his leg strength, as he lacks power to push the pile...runs at a good pad level through the hole to gain leverage, but tends to get too upright in his stance going long distances (looks as if he throttles down)...can be elusive and make the initial tackler miss, but tries to overpower defenders too much and he does not have the leg drive to break tackles...nothing special as a receiver, being used mostly on screens and dump-offs...has marginal route running ability, as he turns too late to look the ball in...has a small window to catch the ball and it is rare to see him extend and snatch away from his frame...plays soft and shies away from defensive linemen after getting run over on the bull rush (needs to be more assertive, as he tries to finesse)...has had only one game in which he carried more than 30 times (illinois in 2006) during his collegiate career.

Compares To

positives

Has a well-developed upper body frame with good thigh and calf thickness...

normal strider with good initial quickness and a short burst...runs with good balance and agility and has decent run strength and power for his size...runs with good forward body lean, showing the jump cut agility to redirect...has the hip swivel to generate a lateral slide...plays with solid adjustment-and-move ability...has good snap in his body to generate a burst coming out of his stance...has adequate vision and awareness to pick and slide, showing little hesitation choosing a rush lane...good inside runner whose low pad level enables him to gain leverage...does a decent job of stepping through and avoiding inside trash...not used much to bounce outside, but when he picks a seam, he hits it with good urgency...reads his blocks effectively working in space and would be even more effective in the open field if he can keep his pads down (tends to get a bit erect running in space)...appears to have good ball security, losing only two of four fumbles on 557 chances...will take what his blockers give him, but has a good feel for squeezing through tight areas running through traffic...if given a clear lane, he has the functional timed speed to take the ball the distance, and you see some dart ability in attempts to elude...adequate pass blocker with quick feet to mirror, but is more the type who will occupy a defender rather than blow him up.

Negatives

2003: Missed three games and was bothered the entire season of his high school senior year with turf toe. 2004: Suffered a thigh bruise vs. Cincinnati (9/04), sitting out the next game vs. Marshall... Re-injured his thigh, leaving the Penn State game (10/30) and did not play the following week vs. Michigan State. 2005: Suffered a knee sprain vs. Texas (9/10). 2006: Missed three weeks of spring camp (3/31) and a week of fall drills (8/11) with a sore hamstring.

Campus: 4.51 in the 40-yard dash

335-pound bench press

305-pound power clean

33-inch vertical jump

31 3/8-inch arm length

9 1/8-inch hands.

Attended Buchtel (Akron, Oh.) High School, playing football for head coach Claude Brown

Earned All-Ohio honors as a senior, despite being bothered all year by a turf toe injury that would sideline him for three games

.Still managed to lead the team with 1,300 yards rushing, averaging more than 12.0 yards per carry while running for 17 touchdowns.

African-American Studies major

Son of Valerie Pittman and Marcus McKinnie

Born 12/19/85

Resides in Akron, Ohio.