Chris Ballard reveals how Alec Pierce won over the Colts
Chris Ballard details the story of how the Indianapolis Colts decided that Alec Pierce would be the team’s first-overall draft pick.
In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts had a weekend that they could best describe as hitting the lottery. They were able to get several players that they had high on their Draft board.
The first player Indianapolis selected was wide receiver Alec Pierce out of Cincinnati. The Colts drafted Pierce in the second round at No. 53 overall.
However, there was one pre-draft decision that Alec Pierce made that essentially punched his ticket to Indianapolis.
Chris Ballard revealed on “The Rich Eisen Show” that the Colts traveled to the University of Cincinnati to workout quarterback Desmond Ridder. However, Pierce decided to go through the workout as well.
Ballard admitted that it’s pretty rare for a prospect today to go through workouts that they don’t have to, but Pierce was willing to, and it ultimately led to him finding his NFL home.
Despite not having a 1st Round pick this year, the #Colts made eight selections including a WR in the second round — General Manager Chris Ballard told us about their #NFLDraft today on our @mbvansusa phone line:#NFL #MBVans pic.twitter.com/HsnyFlyStd
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) May 4, 2022
Alec Pierce’s decision to workout led to Colts drafting him
Ballard admits that Pierce was already on their radar after catching a couple of his games. He mentions Cincinnati’s game against Notre Dame when Pierce had six receptions for 144 yards, so Indy knew he could ball.
However, the pre-draft workout was the final selling point. In addition to Pierce’s willingness to work out, he was also incredibly impressive. Ballard said that he and newly hired receivers coach, Reggie Wayne, just felt his ability up close.
That’s why when the April Draft arrived, the Colts were comfortable with making Pierce their top overall pick. They had already seen him up close, knew that he would come to work and that he has the tools to open up Indy’s passing game.
If Pierce decided to not workout with his college quarterback that day, he may not be a member of the Colts. However, he did, and now everyone is happy with the way things unfolded.
