Ballard, Colts Believe Offensive Additions Will Make Offense More Explosive
After watching Zach Pascal walk in free agency and T.Y. Hilton remain on the open market, not to mention the retirement of tight end Jack Doyle, the Indianapolis Colts under general manager Chris Ballard found themselves in desperate need of offensive weapons, especially after missing out on some of the top free agent wide receivers.
Of course, the Colts traded for veteran quarterback Matt Ryan, stabilizing the offense overall after a rocky season with Carson Wentz at the helm before his trade to Washington, but the question remained of who — aside from Michael Pittman Jr., Nyheim Hines, and Mo Alie-Cox — was going to consistently catch the football from the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
Ballard and the rest of the front office and scouting staff addressed that question in a big way Friday on Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft, landing Cincinnati wide receiver Alec Pierce and Virginia tight end Jelani Woods, giving the Colts two explosive offensive weapons.
On Day 3 Saturday, Ballard added a third offensive weapon, grabbing Youngstown State tight end Andrew Olgetree.
Coming out of the three-day draft, Ballard believes the Colts added high-end talent that will help make the offense more explosive in 2022, even after a year in which the Colts finished 10th in the league in scoring.
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"Yeah. I mean look, we added some unique guys that I think is going to add some explosive ability to our offense," Ballard said to reporters Friday. "I mean (Alec) Pierce, he’s got really good size, has really good vertical speed. He’s got work to do, but like any rookie receiver that comes into the league. But we think he’s got a chance to really ascend. Just put on the Notre Dame game. I mean he played about as well as you could play against a top-five college football team. So, excited to get him.
"Jelani (Woods), Jelani is unique. I’m not going to lie to you, I sweated it out because I think he’s got really big upside both as a receiving tight end and as a blocker. We think he’s going to be able to block," Ballard added. "He did it at Oklahoma State, but he’s a unique athlete and he’s a guy that’s always open. It’s kind of like Mo (Alie-Cox). When you’re 6-7, the quarterback can put the ball up and he’s athletic enough to be able to make a play on it. This kid can run. This kid can really run so we’re excited to get him. All of them are smart. All of them are really smart guys, and I think that’s important.”
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The selections of Pierce and Woods certainly fit what Ballard has historically looked for in his offensive weapons: size and speed guys with huge catch radiuses that can help out their quarterback whenever the ball is in the air.
The ability to track the football down the field is something that Ballard highlighted heavily in Pierce's game Friday night.
"I think he can play both inside and outside. He’s tough, he blocks. He was a really good special teams player early in his career," Ballard said. "The one thing you notice about (Alec) Pierce is he gets behind people. I mean this kid can really, really run and really adjust to the football. There’s some work – what he’s got to do – from a route-running perspective, which most receivers have to work on anyways, but we like his upside.”
With Woods, there's an obvious comparison to Alie-Cox as Woods stands 6'7" and is physically imposing while still moving like a graceful athlete at that size.
The question regarding Woods is his blocking ability overall, but based on his career early at Oklahoma State before transferring to Virginia, Ballard believes his latest Transformer at tight end will be just fine in the run game in Indianapolis.
"Anytime you’re 6’7 – Mo (Alie-Cox) went through this and Mo’s gotten better at it but anytime you’re that tall, leverage. Learning how to play with leverage and play with your pad level down," Ballard said regarding Woods' transition as a blocker. "It’s just something that’s going to take a lot of work. He’s a big man. I think he’s got 230 pounds of lean mass on his body. He’s probably going to play at about 255-260. It’ll take him some time to learn how to really block, but he did it at Oklahoma State. So, we think he’ll be able to do it here.”
The belief is certainly there from the Colts' brass that the offense got substantially better Friday night on Day 2 of the draft with the selections of Pierce and Woods, not to mention the addition of offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann at No. 77 overall.
Now it's up to the Colts' coaching staff to develop the athletic weapons Ballard and Co. have provided them with, hopefully unlocking a new level to the Colts' offense under Frank Reich.
Have thoughts on the Colts' selections of Alec Pierce and Jelani Woods? Drop a line in the comments section below letting us know how you feel!
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