Believing they added significant athleticism overall and making the offense more explosive, the Indianapolis Colts, GM Chris Ballard and head coach Frank Reich are rather excited about the additions of wide receiver Alec Pierce and tight end Jelani Woods coming out of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Pierce helps address the lack of talent and play-making ability at the wide receiver position following the departure of Zach Pascal in free agency, along with T.Y. Hilton still on the market.
The former Cincinnati Bearcats' standout is certainly the trending pick for the favorite one among the Colts' selections, but according to CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso, Indy's best pick wasn't Pierce. Instead, it was Woods, the massive tight end who profiles as a true matchup nightmare for defenses moving forward.
"This is not hyperbole: Woods has a chance to be the best tight end from this class. At 6-7 and 253 pounds with 4.61 speed, major hops, and sharp breaks in his routes, Woods is genuinely a matchup nightmare for any defense he faces," Trapasso writes. "And during his long career, Matt Ryan has established strong connections with pass-catching tight ends like Tony Gonzalez and Austin Hooper. Woods can be the next in line to get plenty of looks from the established quarterback. What I like about Woods too -- he began his career as a blocking-only tight end at Oklahoma State then blossomed into a dynamic, three-level receiver after transferring to Virginia. Getting that type in Round 3 was nice value for Indianapolis."
Woods definitely has the potential to be the best tight end in the class due to his speed, overall athleticism and freakish catch radius, which should make him a weapon right away for new Colts' quarterback Matt Ryan.
Add in the fact that Woods already spent so much time in the Colts' offensive system at the East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas during the pre-draft process, there should be a relatively seamless transition overall into Indianapolis's full scheme.
Though tight end remains one of the toughest positions to transition to from college to the pros as a rookie, Woods has the obvious traits and the clear fit in the Colts' system to put up decent numbers right away in Indy's offense.
Not only does he have the chance to be the best tight end in the class, he has the chance to be the best Colts' draft pick out of the 2022 NFL Draft.
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