Entering the 2022 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts will be relying on some rookies to step up in their first year in the league.
Going into the offseason, it was obvious that the Indianapolis Colts needed to make some moves. There were position groups that needed to be revamped and fixed. Chris Ballard and the rest of Indy’s front office had many hard decisions to make that would hopefully improve their roster for the seasons to come.
With the change at quarterback and upgrades on the defense, all that was left to add was an infusion of youth. I am going to talk about the 3 rookies that I feel will have the most impact on the Colts this season and what to expect from them.
3. Alec Pierce – Wide Receiver
Arguably the most scrutinized position group that Indianapolis had last season was its wide receivers. Outside of Michael Pittman Jr., there was not a target that Carson Wentz went to a whole lot. The injury bug hit too, as T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell were both hurt for most of the season. The Colts also did not have a first-round pick due to past trades.
Their first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft was in the second round, pick 53. They opted to go with big-time playmaker, Alec Pierce, out of Cincinnati. He will compliment Michael Pittman well as this gives Matt Ryan two big bodies on the outside.
Last season at Cincinnati, Pierce caught 52 passes for 884 yards and hauled in 8 touchdowns. Most of his damage came in the red zone on his touchdowns. He made it to a bowl game all four years and even made it to the College Football Playoff. This dude knows how to win and make plays to help his team succeed.
Pierce has been showing out in training camp as he is hauling in big catches and is doing a good job finding the holes in zones and beating his man off the line. I expect Alec to be a day-one starter and make big plays for this receiving group.