NFL Draft grades: Colts get mostly good marks for 2022 picks

The Indianapolis Colts won the 2022 NFL Draft.

Or ...

The Indianapolis Colts failed in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Of course, we won't know which statement will be closer to correct for a few years. But that doesn't prevent NFL Draft grades from flying all over the place.

Here's who the Colts picked: No. 53, Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati; No. 73, Jelani Woods, TE, Virginia; No. 77, Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan; No. 96, Nick Cross, S, Maryland; No. 159, Eric Johnson, DT, Missouri State; No. 192, Andrew Ogletree, TE, Youngstown State; No. 216, Curtis Brooks, DT, Cincinnati; No. 239, Rodney Thomas II, DB, Yale.

From Colts scouts: Why the Colts loved their picks

Welcome to Indy: Matt Ryan congratulates wide receiver Alec Pierce

Here are the first impressions of the Colts' haul.

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: B+, 14th in the league

Chris Ballard and the Colts were effective in addressing needs without a first-rounder. Offensive-minded Frank Reich should enjoy having a complementary big-play wideout to Michael Pittman Jr. in Pierce and replenishing the tight end depth. Cross can also start right away next to newcomer Rodney McLeod. The key to this class is whether Raimann can emerge quickly as their starting left tackle to replace fellow Central Michigan product Eric Fisher.

Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated: A

I’m going to crib some advanced statistics from Pro Football Focus on Brooks: He had the best pass-rush win rate in the class, the best run defense stop rate in the class and the best pass-rush grade in the class. Chris Ballard makes his money finding valuable contributors in the later rounds. Despite being a GM fighting one-handed, having to consistently sacrifice draft capital to find a long-term answer at quarterback, Ballard may have come out of this year’s draft with a handful of starters. Raimann was discussed as a first-round pick. The athletic project out of Austria started his football career as a tight end, with his transition to tackle yielding a fascinating strand of tape. Raimann can get beat from time to time but still has the holdover recovery speed from his pass-catching days.

Pro Football Focus: B+

Pierce has some serious juice, but he may just be a vertical threat at the next level, at best. ... The NFL may have never seen an athlete at the tight end position like Jelani Woods, who was buried on an offense as a blocker for years before finally getting a chance to show what he could do in the passing game. ... A clear first-round talent on PFF’s Big Board, Bernhard Raimann slipped in the draft due to injury concerns, but he has outstanding athleticism and immediate starting ability. ... Cross is a phenomenal value for the Colts at No. 96. He’s a former four-star recruit with some of the best range of any safety prospect in this class.

Mark Maske, Washington Post: B

The Colts lacked a first-round pick after their 2021 trade for already departed QB Carson Wentz. They rebounded reasonably well from that debacle, getting WR Alec Pierce in the second round and TE Jelani Woods in the third to benefit new QB Matt Ryan. The third-round selections of T Bernhard Raimann and S Nick Cross were good values.

Chad Reuter, NFL.com: C

The ill-fated trade for Carson Wentz cost them a first-round pick, but they were able to make up for it somewhat on Day 2 with a few solid picks at positions of need. They secured the athletic Woods, an up-and-coming left tackle in Raimann and playmaking safety in Cross.

Johnson's quickness off the snap made him one of the best non-combine invitees in this draft, and Brooks is an undersized thorn in the side of offensive linemen. Grabbing another big-bodied tight end like Ogletree seemed strange after picking Woods. The Colts have work to do after the draft, with a need to accumulate interior offensive linemen, receivers and running backs to fill out the back end of the roster.

DraftKings: B+

The Colts instantly upgraded their wide receiver room bringing in WR Alec Pierce from Cincinnati to give new quarterback Matt Ryan another weapon. They drafted a tight end with their first pick in the third which probably could have waited, but their OT pick right after it was a good one. They could’ve used linebacker depth and a cornerback, but otherwise, this was a good draft for them.

James Dator, SB Nation: B

The Colts got a huge steal in the third round with Raimann, who I had a first round grade on. Yes, he’s raw, sure he’s only been playing offensive tackle for two years — but there’s a fight and willingness to learn that allowed him to take leaps and bounds in college. That will continue in the NFL and he’ll become an above-average starter. The decision to take Jelani Woods is a little confusing after just committing money to Mo Alie-Cox in free agency. It’s not a bad pick, just a little puzzling.

Nate Davis, USA TODAY: B-

Good odds GM Chris Ballard found four starters on Day 2, when he picked WR Alec Pierce in the second round and TE Jelani Woods, LT Bernhard Raimann and S Nick Cross in the third. Of course, any enthusiasm must be somewhat tempered by the loss of Indy's first-round pick amid the failed Wentz experiment. Still, given the path the Titans took this weekend, the Colts may have closed the gap in the AFC South.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NFL Draft grades: Colts get mostly good marks for 2022 picks