Pro Football Focus set out to select the most improved player on each team in 2024. Their choice for the Indianapolis Colts? A fairly obvious one in wide receiver Alec Pierce, who put together a breakout year.
“Alec Pierce’s role in the Colts offense is clearly defined. They want him to win downfield with his speed and 6-foot-3 frame. That hadn’t always been a surefire thing in his first two seasons in the NFL, but Pierce took a real step forward in 2024 and asserted himself as a reliable deep threat for Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco.”
Pierce would lead the Colts’ offense this season in receiving yards with 824 and touchdowns with seven.
As PFF noted, he emerged this season as one of the game’s most productive downfield targets, leading the NFL in yards per reception with 22.3, along with totaling the most receiving yards on passes of 20-plus yards downfield.
In addition to the big play ability that a downfield presence brings, having that element within an offense can also help open up opportunities underneath and even in the run game as the defense defends against the ball being pushed downfield.
With the addition of AD Mitchell early on in last year’s draft, Pierce felt his seat and role within the Colts’ receiver room heat up. However, he embraced the competition and was much better off for it.
“I can’t say enough about Alec Pierce,” said Ballard. “Look, I’ll tell ya a story: after the draft, anytime you draft a player at a position, there’s some uneasiness and Alec felt it. He came to my office and said, ‘Chris, what does this mean for me?’ I said nothing. Compete. And that’s exactly what he did. He didn’t complain. He didn’t make excuses. He competed and he is freaking good.”
