3 most important rookies for Colts in 2022

2. Jelani Woods – Tight End

With the retirement of the great Jack Doyle, Indy needed to find a replacement for him moving forward. So with their second pick, the Colts opted for the 6-foot-7 tight end, Jelani Woods, out of Virginia. He had a lot of scouts raving about him because of his size and athleticism.

Jelani will play as the No. 2 tight end on the roster behind Mo Alie-Cox. I believe that he will have a pretty big role in not only the passing game but in the run game as a blocker. There are also a couple of other tight ends that will be rostered but they should not cut into Woods’ time that much.

I believe that the Colts got a massive upgrade here by inserting a young Woods for an older Jack Doyle at the tail end of his career. Doyle was very good in both the pass and run games. I feel that Woods will give the same production that Doyle did, plus he is way more athletic, so that will be a huge plus.

Last season, Matt Ryan really utilized his rookie tight end Kyle Pitts and he thrived. Woods and Mo Alie-Cox are almost the exact same. There is only a two-inch difference between the two. They both have large hands and add to the list of red zone threats for coach Frank Reich. I feel like the tight ends will have a big year in Indy.