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.
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.
1. Nick Cross – Safety
The Colts had another retirement that will be a huge blow in the secondary as Khari Willis decided to hang it up to begin a path in Christian ministry. Indianapolis saw an opportunity to take a guy that would fill his role in the speedy and athletic Nick Cross! He was selected in the third round with the 96th pick.
Cross and Julian Blackmon will be the two safeties to start the season in my opinion. It will be one of the youngest safety cores in the league. Blackmon has only played on full season and is coming off of an Achilles injury. It will be fun to watch these two fly around in this Colts secondary.
I would like to see Nick playing the SUB Linebacker position as well. Cross is a ball hawk and a great tackler. Veteran Rodney McLeod was a solid addition on Indy’s roster this offseason as well, so that could pose problems to Cross getting the majority of the snaps at safety.
Last season, Cross racked up 3 interceptions in his junior season as a Maryland Terp. I think the more snaps he sees, the better this Colts defense will be. I can see him getting a takeaway or two this season if we see him on the field a lot.
3 undervalued Colts who will improve in 2022
With training camp already underway, who are three undervalued players on the Indianapolis Colts roster that will improve this season?