Size and speed are what Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce has, and those traits might help him get paid a lot in free agency this offseason. If Indy needs to replace him, Cincinnati's Jeff Caldwell might have just stated his case at the 2026 Scouting Combine.
Coincidentally, Caldwell and Pierce went to the same college, though Pierce was the more productive collegian. Both are big and fast, though.
Pierce is 6'3" and ran a 4.41 40-yard dash with a 40.5-inch vertical leap when he participated in the 2022 combine. The Colts chose him in the second round that year. He has had back-to-back years of averaging 20-plus yards a catch, the first player to do that since the 1989-90 seasons.
Jeff Caldwell could be the Indianapolis Colts' perfect replacement for Alec Pierce
Caldwell did Pierce one better at the 2026 combine. He ran a 4.31 40 and had a vertical of 42 inches. His athleticism is not in question anymore, if it ever was. The issue was why he didn't turn that skill into production at Cincinnati. The issue might not be all his fault.
Caldwell was seemingly not tasked with learning much of a route tree at Cincinnati, or, likely more aptly, where he started college, Lindenwood University.
He wasn't taught well how to use his size to overpower cornerbacks. This implies that the wide receiver could have done with some better coaching. He would learn that in the NFL, especially if he ends up in Indy with Reggie Wayne as his position coach.
Drops were an issue, too. He caught 124 of his 237 targets in college (32 of 58 in his one season at Cincinnati), but had 14 drops. That equates to 10.1 percent of the time Caldwell could have caught the ball, but he didn't. That is on him, and he will need to fix the problem or not play much in the NFL. It should be noted that the percentage dropped to 8.6 in 2025.
Caldwell does know how to score, though. Of his 124 catches, 28 were touchdowns. That kind of ratio didn't diminish once he moved from small-school Lindenwood to the bigger Cincinnati. Of his 32 catches last season, six were for TDs.
Would Jeff Caldwell immediately be able to step into Alec Pierce's role and produce as much as Pierce did in 2025 should Pierce leave in free agency? No, but Pierce had just 41 catches and 593 receiving yards as a rookie. Caldwell might be able to match those numbers should the Indianapolis Colts take him in one of the middle rounds of the 2026 NFL draft.