NFL Insider: Colts got Risky with WR Alec Pierce

NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler with an Indianapolis Colts draft nugget on new wide receiver Alec Pierce.

The Indianapolis Colts made a move on the second day of the NFL Draft to add a pick. The Colts sent pick No. 42 and No. 122 to the Minnesota Vikings for picks No. 53, No. 77, and No. 192.

With pick No. 53, the Colts selected wide receiver Alec Pierce from the University of Cincinnati. NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN suggests Pierce was their guy all along.

The Colts were set to take Cincinnati wide receiver Alec Pierce at No. 42 overall. But when Minnesota called to move into that spot, the Colts took over No. 53 and waited, sweating it out until Pierce was still available 11 picks down the road. Multiple teams picking behind the Colts were eyeing Pierce as a potential selection late in the second."

He fits their mold -- big, tough fast guy," an AFC scout said. "Good kid; killed the spring."

One comp I heard for Pierce: a better Jeff Janis. -

Jeremy Fowler, ESPN

The Colts are hoping Pierce is a significant upgrade on Janis who was a seventh-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2014 and was out of the NFL after four seasons with a total of 17 catches for 200 yards.

Colts fans might be more impressed with the comps from MockDraftable which includes Justin Jefferson as one of the top comparisons. 

Fowler quotes an anonymous AFC Scout saying Pierce "killed the spring.'

That he did. 

He was a standout at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and he was one of the top performers at the NFL Combine. At 6'3 and 211 pounds, he had a 4.41 40-yard dash and a 40.5" vertical jump.

By taking a risk and trading down, the Colts were able to also get one of the steals in the draft in offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann. Pro Football Focus (PFF) named Raimann as the best fit of all offensive tackles taken in the draft.

The Colts came into the draft without a first-round draft pick, but they were able to fill two of their biggest needs, wide receiver and offensive tackle, with one pick.

Shrewd maneuvering from general manager Chris Ballard indeed.