The Indianapolis Colts began the second night of the 2022 NFL draft with a solid value trade down in the second round with the Minnesota Vikings.
In that trade, the Colts moved back to the No. 53 overall selection as their first pick of the night.
With that new selection, the Colts drafted wideout Alec Pierce out of Cincinnati. Wide receiver has been the glaring number one hole on the roster for Indianapolis, and almost everyone had it as the target for the Colts first selection.
This is a fantastic draft-day situation where the Colts were able to not only trade down and acquire more assets to improve the roster, but also still were able to add a legit downfield threat in Alec.
Pierce, 6-foot-3, 211 pounds, is a strong outside target to pair with third-year wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and should be competing for a starting spot going into Week 1. Pierce put up very impressive testing numbers at the combine, including a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash, and a 40.5-inch vertical.
This is also a big selection for new Colts quarterback Matt Ryan as he gains another young target to help grow and develop in a new-look offense for 2022.
This pick checks all the boxes for a perfect start to a critically important draft for this franchise, and it would not be surprising to see the Colts go back to this area with another pick later this weekend as well, or perhaps an upgrade at the tight end spot.
Grade: A