It was about one year ago when Mycah Pittman began seriously studying film.

The Oregon true freshman wide receiver has seen his screen time increase as he analyzes NFL stars past and present.

“I’d find myself starting film at 2 and get done around 6 or 6:30,” Pittman said. “I’d think ‘Wow, I’ve been watching for that long?’ I am trying to understand coverages and disguises, that is big for me. Picking apart things from guys who are doing it and who have done it.”

Pittman was recently watching the highlight reels of Odell Beckham, but also found himself fixated with Jarvis Landry and Steve Smith Sr., who like Pittman come in under 6 feet.

“Steve Smith, I look at him because he plays the aggressive style that I have,” Pittman said of the former Carolina Panthers receiver. “He’s not on the taller end, he’s shorter than me. How he is able to play wide out at his size is what I look at. Looking at Jarvis, I can go out and do that because I’m the same body type.”

Minnesota's Adam Thielen, who ranked among the NFL’s top 10 with 113 catches, 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns last season, is another recent favorite for Pittman.

“He’s not the biggest, strongest or the fastest, but he’s mentally strong so he gets paid the big bucks,” Pittman said. “The mental part of football is very big. I am trying to perfect that.”

To do that, the 5-foot-11, 198-pound Pittman also looks back on his own performances in practice.

“I probably watch film on myself the most to be honest,” he said. “I want to see what I did wrong and what I can perfect next time around when my rep comes.”

The four-star recruit, who was a consensus top-150 prospect, is the most heralded of the four wide receivers to join Oregon this season. He graduated early from Calabasas (Calif.) High School to join the Ducks in time for 15 practices in the spring.

“That was a tremendous help,” Pittman said. “I’d suggest any recruit come in early because I know the playbook inside and out now. I am able to go out there with no worries, like maybe I’m hoping they call a play I know, but instead I know where I am supposed to be at all times.”

Pittman was with the second unit for much of Saturday’s open practice when his diving catch earned the loudest ovation from the crowd.

“Mycah has come out and built off his spring and that is where I think it pays dividends,” Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “You come in and practice in the spring and then go into summer able to run and play with confidence. That is a tribute to how hard he has worked, let alone his innate ability to play football. He loves the game. That is what we saw on film as a recruit and what is showing up here.”

Pittman’s father, Michael, ran for 5,627 yards during an 11-year NFL career with Arizona, Tampa Bay and Denver. His brother, Michael Pittman Jr., has 70 receptions for 1,244 yards and eight touchdowns entering his senior season at USC.

“My pops told me that you have to be a guy that is relied upon,” Pittman said. “When the ball is up in the air, the quarterback has to know you will go get it. That comes with the mental part of the game. You have to tell yourself that you are going to go get it. You can’t have any signs of ‘I’m not going to be able to catch it’. You need to be a guy they can rely on and know the plays so the coaches have confidence in your ability to make plays for the team.”

Arroyo noted Pittman’s football instincts when evaluating him as a recruit.

“He’s been doing it since he was knee high to a grasshopper, 5 years old and playing with his dad,” Arroyo said. “He’s done an awesome job as he has grown with football. An older brother who plays too. That is part of going to college and continuing the process he grew up with and he’s done a nice job.”

Oregon has heavy competition at wide receiver in fall camp with only Jaylon Redd and Johnny Johnson returning with much experience in the system now that senior Brenden Schooler is out six to eight weeks with a foot injury.

“Every time you step on the field, guys want to be better than other guys,” Pittman said. “You want to beat the man in front of you because you want to play. It is a competition and we all know this.”

Pittman’s prep resume and early reviews from coaches have fans and media projecting him as a possible starter when Oregon opens the season against Auburn on Aug. 31.

“I love football and I am passionate about it, I want to make plays,” he said. “I have huge expectations for myself. I have goals bigger than the fans do. When I tell people my goals, they probably laugh at me. If you don’t have that expectation for yourself, you are not trying to be better than you can be.”