Experts grade Colts’ 2022 draft class

The 2022 NFL draft has come and gone with the Indianapolis Colts adding eight more players to the roster.

While there will also be an infusion of undrafted free agent talent joining the roster this week, experts are already handing out their grades for the 2022 draft classes.

For the most part, grades don’t mean anything. None of these players have even stepped on the field yet. None of them have even attended their team’s rookie minicamp yet so it’s impossible to say how well a draft class truly is until roughly three years afterward.

But it also gives us an idea (based on projections) how well the team’s used their draft capital.

Here’s how the experts around the league graded the Colts’ 2022 draft class:

Touchdown Wire: A-

Authors: Doug Farrar, Mark Schofield
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Authors’ Take: “I have never met Kent Lee Platte, the creator of the Relative Athletic Score.

But if you were to tell me right now that Kent Lee Platte is actually Chris Ballard’s pen name, it would not surprise me in the least. The Colts did not have a pick in the first round due to the Carson Wentz trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, but added four players on Day Two who were all graded as elite by the RAS. First was Alec Pierce, the four-sport athlete in high school with a massive vertical leap and huge catch radius. Pierce’s RAS of 9.8 placed him 53rd out of all receivers since 1987. In the third round they added offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann, whose RAS at OT of 9.86 placed him 17th out of all offensive lineman since 1987. When they drafted safety Nick Cross, who posted an RAS of 9.87, it was another elite athlete at the position as that mark made Cross the 12th-highest safety since 1987.

Oh, and they added Jelani Woods, whose RAS of 10 was the best mark posted by a safety ever. Even Eric Johnson, the defensive tackle the Colts added in the fifth round, posted an impressive 9.16 RAS, ranking him 123rd out of the 1,459 defensive tackles since 1987.

Of course, the RAS is just one measurement, but Ballard certainly leaned into athletes. Pierce and Woods give Matt Ryan two massive targets in the passing game, given their size and catch radius. Raimann was the fourth-ranked offensive tackle at both Touchdown Wire and Pro Football Focus, and getting him at 77 overall is tremendous value. In all, an impressive draft from Ballard. Provided Ryan is the answer at quarterback for next season, the Colts look to be in good shape.”

Draft Wire: B+

Authors: Luke Easterling
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Author’s Take: “Biggest Steal
DL Curtis Brooks (6th Round, No. 216 overall)

Biggest Reach
None

Analysis
Another team that didn’t have a first-round pick, but made the most of just about every other selection. Day 2 started with three straight home runs for Matt Ryan and the offense. WR Alec Pierce and TE Jelani Woods bring size, athleticism and versatility to the passing game, with limitless upside, while OT Bernhard Raimann could be their Week 1 starter at left tackle as a third-round pick. S Nick Cross was the cherry on top of the second day, bringing those same traits to the secondary.

On Day 3, the Colts landed a pair of value picks for the defensive line in Eric Johnson and Curtis Brooks, as well as another high-upside pass-catcher in TE Andrew Ogletree. DB Rodney Thomas is another versatile defender for the back end of the defense.”

ESPN: B

Authors: Mel Kiper Jr.
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Author’s Take: “The Colts lost their first-round pick in a trade for Carson Wentz that didn’t work out, but give credit to general manager Chris Ballard for crushing Day 2. I liked all four of their picks on Friday. Alec Pierce (53) has an exciting size-speed combo that could pair well with Michael Pittman Jr. Bernhard Raimann (77), who went a round later than I thought, has a chance to be a rookie starter at left tackle. Jelani Woods (73) is a 6-foot-7 tight end who couldn’t stop catching touchdown passes last season. And Nick Cross (96) has blazing speed and could play as the third safety early in his career.

Ballard & Co. made the most of what they had. The downside on Friday was sending a 2023 third-rounder — a valuable pick — to move up to get Cross. Another lingering question: How long will 38-year-old Matt Ryan be the quarterback in Indy? There were some really good players on the board. Maybe the organization just didn’t like any of them in this class and prefers to wait for 2023, but it was still a little peculiar.

Of the Colts’ Day 3 picks, Eric Johnson (159) is notable. He was a five-year starter at Missouri State — yes, five years — and he could make the team as a rotational defensive tackle.

The Wentz trade set back the franchise in the short term — which is tough for a team with big contract decisions looming — but the second- and third-rounders in this class should all be early contributors.”

NFL.com: C

Authors: Chad Reuter
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Author’s Take: “The ill-fated trade for Carson Wentz cost them a first-round pick, but they were able to make up for it somewhat on Day 2 with a few solid picks at positions of need. They secured the athletic Woods, an up-and-coming left tackle in Raimann and playmaking safety in Cross.

Johnson’s quickness off the snap made him one of the best non-combine invitees in this draft, and Brooks is an undersized thorn in the side of offensive linemen. Grabbing another big-bodied tight end like Ogletree seemed strange after picking Woods. The Colts have work to do after the draft, with a need to accumulate interior offensive linemen, receivers and running backs to fill out the back end of the roster.”

Pro Football Focus: B+

Authors: PFF
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Author’s Take:

“A wide receiver like Skyy Moore, who was still on the board at Pick No. 53, might have been a better fit here, but Alec Pierce does still address a glaring hole at wide receiver. Pierce has some serious juice, but he may just be a vertical threat at the next level, at best. He’s stiff, and his route tree at Cincinnati was very much limited. Over 66% of his yards coming from vertical routes in 2021.

The NFL may have never seen an athlete at the tight end position like Jelani Woods, who was buried on an offense as a blocker for years before finally getting a chance to show what he could do in the passing game. His hands were suspect, dropping 10.7% of catchable targets in his college career, but he has a rare athletic profile.

A clear first-round talent on PFF’s Big Board, Bernhard Raimann slipped in the draft due to injury concerns, but he has outstanding athleticism and immediate starting ability. He began his career as a tight end but developed into an excellent tackle at Central Michigan. He allowed just one sack as a starting tackle and gives the Colts a starting tackle in the third round.

Cross is a phenomenal value for the Colts at No. 96. He’s a former four-star recruit with some of the best range of any safety prospect in this class. He isn’t as instinctual as you’d like him to be, but he can fly sideline to sideline in the deep safety role. He’s a project player, but the Colts’ coaching staff will get an impact starter if they can effectively develop him early on.

Eric Johnson’s production profile is a bit concerning knowing that he played against FCS competition at Missouri State and never earned a single-season grade above 80.0. However, he is a legit run defender at 6-foot-5, 298 pounds and posted PFF run-defense grades and run-stop rates above the 75th percentile in 2021.”

USA TODAY: B-

Authors: Nate Davis
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Author’s Take: “Good odds GM Chris Ballard found four starters on Day 2, when he picked WR Alec Pierce in the second round and TE Jelani Woods, LT Bernhard Raimann and S Nick Cross in the third. Of course, any enthusiasm must be somewhat tempered by the loss of Indy’s first-round pick amid the failed Wentz experiment. Still, given the path the Titans took this weekend, the Colts may have closed the gap in the AFC South.”

Pro Football Network: A-

Authors: Ryan Gosling
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Author’s Take: “Athletic is a great way to describe the Colts’ first two days of the draft. Well, really Day 2, since they didn’t have a first-round pick. Alec Pierce, Jelani Woods, Bernhard Raimann, and Nick Cross all bring athletic upside to the table. Pierce and Woods are freaks downfield and are two of the best in contested-catch situations. They kept that theme going on Day 3 with Eric Johnson and Andrew Ogletree, two athletic but raw players. Curtis Brooks brings underrated power to the interior defensive line, and the Colts finished the draft with Rodney Thomas.”

Sporting News: B+

Authors: Vinnie Iyer
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Author’s Take: “Chris Ballard and the Colts were effective in addressing needs without a first-rounder. Offensive-minded Frank Reich should enjoy having a complementary big-play wideout to Michael Pittman Jr. in Pierce and replenishing the tight end depth. Cross can also start right away next to newcomer Rodney McLeod. The key to this class is whether Raimann can emerge quickly as their starting left tackle to replace fellow Central Michigan product Eric Fisher.”

NBC Sports: B

Authors: Nick Goss
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Author’s Take: “The Colts were another team without a first-round pick. They dealt it to the Philadelphia Eagles as part of the trade for quarterback Carsen Wentz last year (Ouch!).

Indy added much-needed speed at wide receiver by selecting Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce in the second round (53rd overall). Pierce also has good size at 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds. Third-round pick Jelani Woods out of Virginia is a tight end listed at 6-foot-7 and 253 pounds. He tallied eight touchdown receptions last season and could be a quality redzone target for new Colts quarterback Matt Ryan.

Missouri State defensive lineman Eric Johnson could be a sneaky good find from the fifth round given his run stopping ability and quickness.”

New York Post: B+

Authors: Ryan Dunleavy
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Author’s Take: “Maybe the best collective Day 2 haul, which was important without a first-round pick. Pierce and Woods should stretch the field for Matt Ryan, and the slightly older Raimann (24) is better than several tackles picked ahead of him.”

Sports Illustrated: A

Authors: Connor Orr
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Author’s Take: “I’m going to crib some advanced statistics from Pro Football Focus on Brooks: He had the best pass-rush win rate in the class, the best run defense stop rate in the class and the best pass-rush grade in the class. Chris Ballard makes his money finding valuable contributors in the later rounds. Despite being a GM fighting one-handed, having to consistently sacrifice draft capital to find a long-term answer at quarterback, Ballard may have come out of this year’s draft with a handful of starters. Raimann was discussed as a first-round pick. The athletic project out of Austria started his football career as a tight end, with his transition to tackle yielding a fascinating strand of tape. Raimann can get beat from time to time but still has the holdover recovery speed from his pass-catching days.”

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