Tag: Alec Pierce

Daniel Jeremiah discusses third-round WR options who can help Jags offense

Find out what Daniel Jeremiah said about third-round options like Jalen Tolbert and Alec Pierce, who the Jags could look at with the need for one more receiver.

The draft is a week away, and many Jacksonville Jaguars fans will be anxiously waiting to see what the team does with their 12 selections. As of now, it isn’t clear what the team will do with the first overall pick, which has made things interesting for draft analysts who are trying to figure out the first round.

However, that isn’t the only interesting thing about the upcoming draft for fans of the Jags. Figuring out who the team could take on Day 2 is also an interesting conversation that’s being had within the fanbase.

Most seem to think the team should and could take a receiver on Day 2 as they have three picks between the second and third rounds. And while it would be huge for the team to get an option like George Pickens at pick No. 33, it seems that the team may be more likely to take a defender there.

With that being the case, Jags Wire asked an expert on a player who could be available in the following round at the position in Alec Pierce. That expert was NFL Network Daniel Jeremiah, who held a conference call on Thursday to discuss next week’s big event.

“So you’ve got big-time sprinter speed,” Jeremiah said of Pierce. “He’s just real strong and powerful in what he does. You can watch the Notre Dame game, you can see the big-time catches, kind of those wild catches.

“He’s one of those guys, in scouting a lot of times we use the phrase ‘quicker than fast.’ He’s the opposite; he’s faster than quick. He’s got big-time speed. Some of the subtleties getting in and out, that’s going to be a little bit more of a challenge with him at the break point.”

Pierce has become a popular name in the Jags community because of his projection as a third-round selection. Many believe that he can help the offense takeoff if paired with Trevor Lawrence, who could use a new X-receiver after losing D.J. Chark Jr. in free agency.

Pierce will be entering the draft after being Desmond Ridder’s top target last season when he hauled in 52 passes for 884 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Together, the two were able to get the Bearcats into the playoffs last season after a magical 13-0 run in the regular season.

Jags Wire also asked Jeremiah if any other X-receivers could help the Jags in Round 3, and he singled out South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert.

“Along those lines, kind of a big X, Jalen Tolbert from South Alabama would be another one,” Jeremiah added. “A little over 6’1”, 194 pounds, ran in the 4.4s. He’s got a little more stop-start quickness to him. He’s got really good hands in terms of going up and getting it and winning those 50/50 balls, but he has some concentration drops on occasion. Those are going to kind of rear their ugly head there.

“Those are kind of a couple interesting X-receiver options there for them kind of outside those first couple rounds to me that would be good fits.”

Tolbert didn’t face the same competition level as Pierce, but he has plenty of talent. He was ultra-productive in his last two seasons with the Jaguars registering over 1,084 yards in both seasons. He also hauled in 146 passes and 16 touchdowns along the way. Those are the kind of stats that could’ve caught the eyes of Trent Baalke and Doug Pederson, who need better play out wide over what fans saw under Urban Meyer last season.

Dream selections for NFL teams with no 1st-round pick

Here are the dream selections for every NFL team without a first-round pick.

As NFL team-building philosophies evolve, the importance of first-round picks has diminished for some teams. There are eight clubs in this year’s draft that don’t hold first-round selections going into Day 1.

Clubs without first-round picks tend to get left out of mock drafts like the latest one the NFL Wire network put together. Instead of requiring a two-or-three-round mock to include all the teams, the sites for the Bears, Colts, Browns, 49ers, Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins and Rams all got together and threw their own kind of mock draft party.

While it’s nigh impossible to put together a fully-accurate one-round mock, deciphering which players will fall to certain spots on Day 2 is even harder. Our group of editors that weren’t included in the one-round mock took a look at some of the prospects that could fall into Rounds 2 and 3 and identified the dream scenario and pick for their teams.

Ravens trade back multiple times in 3-round mock draft by CBS Sports

The Ravens traded back multiple times in a three-round mock draft by CBS Sports

The Baltimore Ravens currently have 10 draft picks in the 2022 NFL draft, including nine in the first four rounds. That gives them plenty of opportunities to move up and down the draft board at will to either trade up to stop the fall of a star or trade back for even more value.

In a three-round mock draft, Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports executed multiple trade down scenarios for Baltimore. However, he first selected University of Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis at pick No. 14. Trapasso made clear that he’d love to see a duo of Calais Campbell and Jordan Davis on the defensive line for the Ravens.

“Davis and Calais Campbell together in Baltimore. Yes, please.”

The first trade back for Baltimore in Trapasso’s mock draft comes in the second round, where the team trades pick No. 45 to the Denver Broncos for No. 64 and No. 75. Denver takes edge rusher David Ojabo with the Ravens’ pick, while Baltimore takes cornerback Roger McCreary at No. 64.

Next, in the third round Trapasso has the Ravens selecting Cincinnati wide receiver Alec Pierce with their newly-acquired No. 75 overall selection, but then trading No. 76 to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for No. 104 and a 2023 second-round choice. Los Angeles selects edge rusher Drake Jackson, while Baltimore’s third round picks then consist of LSU offensive lineman Ed Ingram at No. 100 and Kentucky EDGE Josh Paschal at No. 104.

Report: Colts worked out Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder

The Colts reportedly worked out Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder.

The Indianapolis Colts reportedly worked out former Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated on Friday.

Even with the trade that brought Matt Ryan to the Circle City, there is still the chance the Colts add a rookie quarterback in the draft if they like that player enough. Ridder has been a popular name linked to the Colts for much of the draft season.

Breer also reported that the Colts held the workout to watch some of the Cincinnati receivers.

Ridder is certainly the big name here. His upside is intriguing considering his leadership, poise in the pocket, throwing mechanics and ability as a runner. He also showed throughout his time with the Bearcats that he can handle working with pre and post-snap reads.

Where Ridder brings question marks as a prospect is with his inconsistent accuracy, especially early in games.

No one would be shocked if Ridder was the selection at No. 42 overall, which is when the Colts are on the board first in the 2022 NFL draft.

Another interesting tidbit from this workout is that the Colts likely got a good look at wide receiver Alec Pierce. The vertical receiver projects as a strong pick for the Colts on Day 2 of the draft if they decide to go that route.

Pierce’s ability to get vertical in a hurry flashes throughout his tape while he checks the boxes of being a senior and a team captain. He could eventually be a formidable complement to Michael Pittman Jr., who enters his third season.

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2022 NFL draft: Alec Pierce scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about Cincinnati wide receiver Alec Pierce

An athletic technician who was the top receiving option for one of the nation’s best teams, Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce heads to the next level as one of the more intriguing wide receiver prospects in the 2022 NFL draft.

Here is everything you need the Bearcats’ talented pass-catcher:

Texans should consider Cincinnati WR Alec Pierce

The Houston Texans could benefit from adding former Cincinnati Bearcats receiver Alec Pierce to their receiving corps.

The Houston Texans have been linked to Drake London at No. 13 overall. It also makes sense for the Texans to use that extra pick from the Cleveland Browns to take a receiver at that spot.

However, the Texans have a talent deficient roster and need to go with the best player available. If the Texans are taking anything other than receiver through the top-100 picks in the draft, Houston can still find value later in the draft to give quarterback Davis Mills more weapons.

According to Sam Monson from Pro Football Focus, former Cincinnati Bearcats receiver Alec Pierce is a big target that would team up well with wideouts Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins.

That Alec Pierce is able to play with the kind of burst and acceleration he does at 6-foot-3 is impressive, and his tape looks like it belongs to a player significantly smaller than he is — in a good way. Pierce has impressive ball skills and just four drops over the last two years. His average depth of target for his career was almost 17 yards downfield, but he has the skills to work at all levels of the field. In a deep draft class, Pierce seems to be overlooked in a lot of draft rankings, but he could be a very productive player at the next level.

Pierce is listed as the ninth-best wideout in Monson’s rankings. Admittedly, if there is one former Bearcat who makes sense for the Texans, it is cornerback Ahmad Gardner. Nevertheless the Texans may benefit from bringing in one of his teammates from the other side of the ball to bolster their passing attack.

Pierce tallied 52 catches for 884 yards and eight touchdowns through his final 14 games for Cincinnati, who made it as far as the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff.

2022 draft: 7 receivers who could help fill Amari Cooper’s void for Cowboys

The Cowboys have huge holes in their WR depth chart. Here’s a review of who could be had throughout the draft, but all with different skill sets. | From @TimLettiero

With Amari Cooper on his way out the door for a bag of chips, it becomes increasingly likely that one or two of the Dallas Cowboys free agent group of wideouts will see a new contract within the next few days. Michael Gallup, Cedrick Wilson and Malik Turner all had expiring contracts when they had exit interviews in January.

This leaves WRs CeeDee Lamb, Simi Fehoko, T.J. Vasher and recent re-signee and blocking specialist, Noah Brown left as the only ones on contracts right now. In a scheme that likes to share the ball around, depth is key and it’s clear the Cowboys have some work to do to rebuild the corps. The draft remains as the best way to address the need. Here’s a look at several prospects throughout the exercises three days.

Packers film room: Why Cincinnati WR Alec Pierce is great fit in 2022 NFL draft

Cincinnati WR Alec Pierce, a standout from the NFL Scouting Combine, looks like a great fit for Matt LaFleur and the Packers in the 2022 draft.

One of the biggest winners from this year’s NFL Scouting Combine was Cincinnati wide receiver Alec Pierce. Pierce flew around the field posting an impressive 40-yard dash time of 4.41 seconds, a 40.5-inch vertical, and a broad jump of 11 feet four inches. It was quite a day for the 6-3, 211-pound wide receiver who caught 106 passes for 1,851 yards and 13 touchdowns during his college career.   

If Pierce wasn’t already on the Green Bay Packers’ radar, he is now. The Packers will likely add a pass catcher in the 2022 NFL draft, and Pierce falls right in line with the team’s physical and athletic thresholds.   

As of right now, the Packers only have a handful of wide receivers signed to their roster for next season. If they can’t reach a deal with Davante Adams, the team is expected to utilize the franchise tag to prevent the All-Pro wide receiver from leaving in free agency. Green Bay also has to decide on Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling – two players who have spent the last four seasons with the Packers but are now set to be free agents.   

If Green Bay is unable to bring back all three of their top pass-catchers from last season, Pierce is an intriguing option for several reasons. From an early standpoint, he has the potential to contribute on special teams right away. Expect the Packers to seek out prospects who can provide a boost to a struggling special teams’ unit all throughout the draft. Pierce certainly checks that box.   

However, Pierce would not be limited to special teams. After watching some film, one observation I made was Pierce essentially takes all the best traits of Lazard and Valdes-Scantling and packs them into one player. He has the physical toughness of Lazard and also the blazing speed comparable to Valdes-Scantling.   

For this article, we are going to take a closer look at Pierce’s film to discover more about the wide receiver prospect, and why he would be a good fit in Green Bay. Keep in mind this is only one game, but we can see the wide range of Pierce’s skill set in his performance against Notre Dame from last season.   

Let’s begin.   

Right away we see Pierce has no issues accelerating, but here, we see how Pierce handles a physical corner in man-to-man coverage. Pierce does a nice job using his hands to fight off the jam. He gets the inside release he wants because he is running an in-breaking route. At the top of the route, Pierce is able to break down and create separation, even making the defensive back stumble a bit. Pierce didn’t run an extensive route tree in college, but this example shows a solid route with good attention to detail that he can win with at the next level.   

Pierce will be more effective against zone than man at the next level. He shows good mental processing skills to diagnose coverages and can get to his landmarks to put himself in the best position to get the ball. Here we see Pierce using good depth on the hook route and finding a nice pocket in the zone. He isn’t known for creating much after the catch, but this play shows some potential.  

This rep has Valdes-Scantling written all over it. Pierce uses his speed to blow by the defender, and he does it with relative ease. This example shows that his play speed matches up with his time speed. Even though the corner makes a good play on the ball to force an incompletion, we see the big-play threat Pierce can be.   

Here is the Lazard side to Pierce’s game. Every wide receiver for the Packers must be willing to block in the run game. Pierce is not only willing, but he accepts the responsibility as a chance to show off his size and strength. We see him using good hand placement as a stalk blocker so his teammates can gain extra yards. Green Bay will not overlook this aspect about Pierce.   

He is not on the level of Adams’ release game, but then again, who is? Pierce has shown that he can his hands and feet to win at the line of scrimmage against press coverage. Here, his quick feet help him gain leverage to the outside. His speed then allows him to stack the corner, allowing the quarterback to have an easier throw. At the catch point, Pierce high points the ball beautifully. This is another great example of Pierce’s downfield ability and what he can bring to the Packers’ offense as a vertical threat.  

Pierce is not only physically tough but mentally tough as well. Green Bay needs another guy who can operate underneath and is not afraid to go over the middle of the field. This is something Pierce could add. He has good mental processing to find holes in coverages and has the competitive toughness to take a hit and bounce right back up.   

Let’s finish with another strong rep against press. Again, Pierce predominately uses his feet to get off the jam. He takes an outside release and flashes his speed to get over the top so the quarterback can take a holeshot in between the corner and safety. It is easy to imagine Pierce doing this in the Packers’ offense.  

Obviously, Pierce is not a perfect prospect, even though we only highlighted what he does well. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlen thinks Pierce will face a lot of press coverage at the next level due to his release limitations. It is a valid point as Pierce doesn’t have elite quickness, despite his outstanding long speed. Pierce will likely struggle against physical corner early on, but he has the tools to expand and refine his release package.   

Pierce will also need to improve his route running. Because he isn’t very twitchy, creating separation won’t come easy. It will depend on the scheme and his ability to do nuanced things that take a lot of detail. Luckily, Green Bay’s scheme fits Pierce’s profile, and they have a history of getting the most out of their wide receivers even when the limitations are evident.   

Overall, given his upside and physical traits, I think Pierce would be an excellent day two addition for the Packers in this year’s draft.   

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NFL combine: WR Alec Pierce could provide Browns an option Day Two of NFL draft

If the Browns go defense at the top of their draft or want to double up at WR, Pierce’s combine confirmed good film from the Cincy prospect:

The NFL draft is seven rounds long. While that may seem like a simple statement, most tend to focus on the first round and very little else. It is no wonder the movie “Draft Day” acted as if only that round mattered, some fans and media act as such.

The importance of that round is significant, obviously, but not the only way for a team to improve or address their needs.

For the Cleveland Browns, the focus has been on the 13th pick and the wide receiver position. While the defensive line could also be the pick, many have honed in on getting weapons for Kevin Stefanski and Baker Mayfield in the passing game in the first round.

One player who had a very good NFL combine and could give Cleveland a day two option in the NFL draft is Cincinnati receiver Alec Pierce.

Pierce measured in at 6’3″ and 211 pounds in Indianapolis. At that size, he ran a 4.33 40-yard dash with a 40.5″ vertical and 10’9″ broad jump. His athletic testing score put him in the top 100 over receivers since 1987:

Pierce has work to do as a route runner but has shown improvement during his time with the Bearcats. His agility scores are a sign of one possible issue with some of his routes but his size could explain some of that compared to other smaller receivers.

Pierce had his best season in 2021 with 52 catches for 884 yards and eight touchdowns. He led Cincinnati receivers with 22 more catches, 360 more yards and three more touchdowns than the next best on his team.

The Draft Network has Pierce as a second-round pick but given the talent at the position in this year’s draft, he could even slip to the third. If the Browns go with a defensive lineman with the 13th pick or want to double up at receiver, Pierce could be a great fit for the team.

Receiver prospects who can raise their stock at the scouting combine

Touchdown Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick goes to the film to examine receivers who may raise their stock at the 2022 NFL scouting combine

As the 2022 NFL Draft approaches, we already have an idea of who the first-round wide receivers are, but there are some prospects who, even though they have great measurables, might not be as high on the boards as they’d like

What makes the difference between a guy with the same measurables better than another? Usually, it’s because of what they’ve shown on their tape. It’s true that the tape doesn’t lie, but it also doesn’t paint the full picture of a prospect.

Some receivers who play at the bigger schools could be overshadowed by other players, therefore limiting their reps. Other times. guys just aren’t in the right scheme or position. It’s impossible for a prospect to show what he could be capable of at the next level if those situations arise. One place where teams usually find hidden gem is at the scouting combine.

It happens every single year. Some guys who are twentieth on the board, show up to Indianapolis and raise their stock to top fifteen or even top ten.

Let’s check out a few receivers who have that opportunity.