Colts camp observations: Rookies Nick Cross, Alec Pierce offer tantalizing glimpses

WESTFIELD — Indianapolis made four picks on the second day of the NFL draft, and all four have ample chances to establish themselves as key players for the Colts this season.

The Colts are counting on second-round pick Alec Pierce to bolster the wide receiving corps, tight end Jelani Woods is one of three young players vying to fill the void left by the retired Jack Doyle, Bernhard Raimann is in a competition with Matt Pryor at left tackle and Nick Cross has a chance to win the starting strong safety job left open by Khari Willis’ retirement.

Cross and Pierce offered tantalizing glimpses of their talent on the first day of Colts training camp at Grand Park on Wednesday, and each player also had a “Welcome to the NFL” moment or two.

Cross made the first impression.

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Early in practice, on the second play of 7-on-7, new starting quarterback Matt Ryan tried to force the ball to Mo Alie-Cox in a crowd, the ball was tipped into the air and Cross closed hard to make the interception, making the kind of play Indianapolis is going to need out of that position.

A little later in the practice, though, Cross saw All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor bounce a run to the outside and took an aggressive angle toward Taylor on the outside, aiming to cut him off. Instead, Taylor put on his signature burst, turning the corner before Cross could lay a hand on him.

Pierce’s moments were similar.

On a day when Ryan more often found receivers open underneath, the big-play highlight was Ryan standing in the pocket, waiting for Pierce to run a deep in through the middle of the field and firing a strike to the rookie, drawing plenty of applause from the crowd.

Pierce is expected to stretch the field for the Colts, both with his speed and his ability to make contested catches in the air. A little while later, he had a chance to grab one of those jump balls in 7-on-7 with Kenny Moore II in coverage, only to have free safety Julian Blackmon come flying out of the middle and bat it away.

For both rookies, and for Raimann and Woods, this was only the start of a long training camp period.

Opportunity is available.

Throttle down

Drawing too many conclusions from the battle between offensive and defensive linemen is typically a mistake before the Colts are in full pads.

But it was hard to ignore Yannick Ngakoue’s motor in his first practice in front of Colts fans.

Ngakoue plays at an intense pace in practices. Explosive off the edge in the pass rush, Ngakoue’s effort showed up in other ways Wednesday. At one point, Ngakoue burst through the line to touch Taylor for what might have been a tackle-for-loss, and a play later, he took a full rush at Ryan, only to realize the Colts had called a screen, change direction and chase down Alie-Coxon the other side of the field.

“He has a great mentality,” said cornerback Brandon Facyson, who played with Ngakoue in Las Vegas last season. “He wants to be great every single day. I got a little taste of it when he was over with the Raiders last year, and I’m just glad he’s on my team again.”

Quarterback tracking

Based on the first practice, Ryan will get about half the snaps in each period, backup Nick Foles will take two-thirds of the remaining snaps, and the remainder will be divvied up between second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger and undrafted free agent Jack Coan.

Ryan completed 7 of 8 throws in 11-on-11 work on Wednesday, hitting Michael Pittman Jr. twice, Taylor twice, Alie-Cox, Hines and the shot to Pierce over the middle. The only incompletion came on a contested catch tight end Kylen Granson probably should have pulled in. Foles completed 3 of 4, hitting Granson, Keke Coutee and Andrew Ogletree.

Coan completed his only throw in 11-on-11 on a swing pass to running back Phillip Lindsay, and Ehlinger completed his only toss on a swing pass to second-year back Deon Jackson.

Injury report

Indianapolis activated McLeod and defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis off of the PUP on Wednesday morning, a move that allows the pair to get on the practice field, but the Colts are clearly still planning to be careful with each player. McLeod (knee) took part in individual drills but did not participate in team drills, and Lewis (knee) spent his day on the sideline in a baseball cap.

The other three Colts on injury lists — linebacker Shaquille Leonard (back), wide receiver Michael Strachan (knee) and defensive tackle Eric Johnson (back) — were all spotted on the field.

Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner did not participate in all of the team’s 11-on-11 drills, and at one point third-year defensive tackle Chris Williams left with a trainer, although he was on the field at the end of practice.

Quick game

Facyson, who was the third cornerback along with Stephon Gilmore and Moore throughout the practice, drew the only flag, presumably for pass interference on a slant to Pierce. … Running backs are difficult to evaluate in padless practices, but Lindsay’s quickness was noticeable, both in traffic at the line of scrimmage and on the edge. … Jackson, who finished the 2021 season as the team’s No. 3 back, fumbled twice, first on a handoff from Foles and the second time in traffic. … Will Fries lined up at center behind Ryan Kelly. … Newly signed wide receiver Isaiah Ford was one of six players auditioning to be the kick returner, along with Hines, Isaiah Rodgers, Coutee, Lindsay and DeMichael Harris. … Undrafted linebacker Forrest Rhyne, a Villanova product, made an impressive play in 7-on-7 against Ryan, leaping high to bat away a pass intended for a tight end behind him. … Rainy weather pushed the Colts inside on their first day, but 750 fans were allowed to view the indoor practice, something that wasn’t possible a year ago due to COVID.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts training camp: Rookies offer glimpses of talent on 1st day