Alec Pierce NFL Draft Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’-3″
Weight: 211 pounds
School: Cincinnati
Alec Pierce 2022 NFL Draft Profile
A multi-sport resume puts Alec Pierce at an intelligence and athletic advantage over many wide receivers coming out of college this year. Besides competing in multiple sports, Pierce worked on both sides of the ball at Glenbard West High School. In his senior season, he won MVP of the West Suburban Conference Silver Division, when he caught 25 passes for 372 yards and five touchdowns on offense with three sacks and four interceptions on defense.
Pierce took snaps on special teams for the majority of his first year with the Cincinnati Bearcats. In his first season integrated with the Bearcats offense, Pierce caught 37 passes for a team-leading 652 yards and two touchdowns, while also leading the team in yards per reception. He missed four games in his junior season with a knee injury but still came up with 17 receptions for 315 yards and three touchdowns. In his senior season, Pierce accumulated 52 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns.
After his most impressive season, Pierce was named Second-Team All-American Athletic Conference. He was also invited to the 2022 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama along with fellow Bearcat Myjai Sanders.
Strengths:
- His great strength and long arms help block in the ground game
- Great runner with the ball in his hands and has the ability to make defenders miss
- Effective anywhere as a receiver, but mostly in the slot
- Vertical and crossing concepts are his specialty
- Able to find space in zone coverage
- A big frame helps outmuscle smaller defensive backs
Weaknesses:
- Didn’t run too many complex routes with Cincinnati
- Can drop the ball when thinking about running before the ball is in hands
- Sometimes uses his chest to hug the ball rather than catching it with his hands
- His release woes can make him a prominent target for press-man coverage
Teams With Need At WR: Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints
Projection: Third Round
Bottom Line On Alec Pierce
Athletic is the word to describe Alec Pierce, as he brings all of the traits acquired from volleyball, basketball, and track into his game as a football player. With crossing routes being a part of his route tree to go along with his ability to make defenders miss, Pierce could rack up some yards after the catch at the NFL level. Besides being a tough receiver, Pierce’s build works to his advantage in the ground game, paving holes for the running back.
His restricted tree can limit his ceiling at the next level. While Pierce is great at making defenders miss, he will need to work out his concentration drops, as that can show up at the wrong spots in NFL games. He will also need to work out his chest-catching ball habits. Not getting a great release off of the line of scrimmage can make him a prominent target for press-man coverage.
Alec Pierce’s ceiling stands as a slot receiver at the NFL level.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
