Grading every Colts’ pick in the 2022 NFL draft

The Indianapolis Colts made their selections in the 2022 NFL draft and now it’s time to hand out some arbitrary grades that will have no impact on the future of these young players coming onto the roster.

Grading picks immediately after the draft is sort of silly. We have no idea what the future holds for these players and what their careers might turn out to be. Some of the players we are high on could very well flop. Others that we’re lowering on could turn into Pro Bowlers.

But at least slapping grades on a pick gives us some concept of projectability and fit within the roster accompanied by a range of outcomes for a player’s career.

So while we acknowledge that grades are meaningless for a player’s future and impact, we’re still going to do them to give an idea of projectability.

Also, I have bills to pay.

Without further ado, here are our grades for each Colts’ pick in the 2022 NFL draft:

Round 2 | No. 53 overall | WR Alec Pierce, Cincinnati

AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Grade: A

By now, my love for Pierce as a fit with the Colts should be well known. He checks nearly every box they have when it comes to prospects in general and specifically at wide receiver. While my other draft love, Skyy Moore, was also available, it’s hard to blame the Colts for choosing Pierce instead.

The fact that the Colts were able to trade back from No. 42 overall, add an extra third-round pick in the process and still draft Pierce boosts this grade. Pierce has the skill set to compete immediately for the starting boundary role opposite Michael Pittman Jr. in 2022.

At 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds, Pierce ran a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash while posting an elite 40.5-inch vertical. He has true deep threat abilities with his speed and knack for making adjustments to throws mid-air. He also has extensive experience working against press coverage, which isn’t always a given for prospects.

There will be some development needed when it comes to the nuance of route running. We can’t expect him to run routes like Stefon Diggs because they are different players. But he has the skills to compete right away.

Pierce has a chance to win the WR2 role immediately and his entire profile fits seamlessly with what the Colts want to do.

Round 3 | No. 73 overall | TE Jelani Woods, Virginia

AP Photo/Gerry Broome

Grade: B+

You want upside? I’ll show you upside.

There may not be a player with higher upside than Woods coming out of the draft. It’s likely why the Colts had to spend a third-round pick to get him. He is a true physical specimen who could prove to be a mismatch everywhere on the field.

Though Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson are likely to start ahead of him on the depth chart, Woods may not be buried for long. At 6-foot-7 and 253 pounds, Woods was carved out of marble. On top of that, he posted a 4.61 in the 40-yard dash and a ridiculous 6.95 in three-cone drill.

His elite athletics is his best selling point, but he showed flashes of production in his one season at Virginia after spending four seasons at Oklahoma State. He posted 44 receptions for 598 yards and eight touchdowns on 13.6 yards per reception. Those numbers are better than all four seasons combined at Oklahoma State

He’s a bit older at 24 years old so that’s a bit of a knock but the prime for a tight end is between roughly ages 26-29 so there is still plenty of time to develop his skills into an elite receiving option.

Round 3 | No. 77 overall | OT Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan

AP Photo/Butch Dill

Grade: A

Some draft analysts had Raimann pegged to go in the late first round or early second round of the draft so for the Colts to be able to get him in the middle of the third is outstanding. He should have the chance to win the starting left tackle job immediately.

While Raimann has only had roughly two seasons worth of starting experience at left tackle after moving from tight end, he has surprisingly picked up the position extremely quickly. His elite athleticism bodes well for his future and the fact that he did come into the draft as a true left tackle will help.

Raimann will be competing for the starting left tackle role but he needs to continue improving his consistency working with leverage and then just simply honing his technique in pass sets, which is understandable given his shortened experience playing the position.

It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if Raimann stepped in as the starting left tackle in Week 1.

Round 3 | No. 96 overall | S Nick Cross, Maryland

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Grade: A-

One of my favorite picks in this draft is this one. The Colts surprisingly traded back into the third round after making their three picks because they simply couldn’t wait to draft Cross.

The upside with Cross is extremely high. He has the size, speed and range to play all over the field. He can play a two-deep zone or work as a single-high safety thanks to his speed and range. He also brings the physicality against the run game and has the size to to play near the line of scrimmage.

Cross may not get on the field right away because of the two entrenched starters ahead of him, but he may wind up being a starter sooner rather than later, especially with Khari Willis being a free agent in 2023.

Round 5 | No. 159 overall | DT Eric Johnson, Missouri State

AP Photo/Butch Dill

Grade: B

A small-school interior defensive lineman with elite physical traits and length. Remind you of anyone? Grover Stewart, maybe?

If Johnson winds up turning into another Stewart, this will grade will probably be too low. It’s hard for mid-Day 3 picks to turn into the kind of full-time starter that Stewart is, but Johnson is very intriguing from a developmental perspective.

He’s bursty off the line, has extraordinary length and could turn into a rotational player immediately. He’ll be 24 by the time the regular season rolls around, but Johnson presents some intriguing upside if he continues his development.

Round 6 | No. 193 overall | TE Andrew Ogletree, Youngstown State

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Grade: C+

This really isn’t a knock on Ogletree as a player. He’s an elite athlete with upside to hold a solid role as a rotational player on the offensive side of the ball, and he’s still developing his game.

Ogletree is an older prospect and will be 24 years old by the time the regular season arrives. It’s not that big of a deal as a sixth-round pick and it’s likely part of the reason he fell so far. This pick just seemed a bit more as a luxury. The Colts could get by with the trio of Alie-Cox, Granson and Woods.

If the Colts are looking to carry four tight ends this season, then I can understand wanting to grab Ogletree for his inherent upside. It’s not a bad pick at all, but it remains to be seen how much of a role he will have down the line.

Round 6 | No. 216 overall | DT Curtis Brooks, Cincinnati

Syndication: The Enquirer

Grade: A

This could be the steal of the draft for the Colts. Brooks may have been a late bloomer and an older prospect, but his upside is extremely intriguing from his athleticism, skillset and production in 2021.

Pro Football Focus had Brooks as one of the most productive interior defensive lineman during the 2021 season and he showed flashes of dominance on tape throughout that campaign.

All of that combined with his elite athleticism could turn him into a massive steal for the Colts. He’s likely to be competing for a rotational role at the three-technique behind DeForest Buckner.

Round 7 | No. 239 overall | DB Rodney Thomas II, Yale

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: C+

I’m not going to sit here and act like I know a ton about Thomas and his game. It seems he will be working both at cornerback and safety, though, he is listed as the former on the Colts roster.

What Thomas brings is very intriguing athleticism to the secondary, which could give him the means to compete for the final roster spots in the cornerback room with the likes of Chris Wilcox, Alexander Myres and Anthony Chesley.

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