AFC Notes: Alec Pierce, Colts’ Draft, Christian Kirk, Jaguars

Colts

Colts WR Alec Pierce reached career highs of 824 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He said the team drafting WR Adonai Mitchell in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft pushed him to improve. 

“It definitely motivated me,” Pierce said, via James Boyd of The Athletic. “It just brought in a whole extra level of comfort. Just knowing that, ‘OK, everything (has to be) on point because I got somebody right here on my heels trying to take my spot.’”

Colts GM Chris Ballard thinks Pierce can reach even better heights going forward. 

“He competed, and he is freaking good,” Ballard said. “He’s exactly who we thought he was going to be. I think there’s more in there, I do. Alec Pierce is an excellent, excellent football player.”

Colts

• Per Paul Bretl of the Colts Wire, NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah named the following four CBs as potential targets for the Colts at pick No. 14: Ole Miss’ Trey Amos, Kansas State’s Jacob Parrish, Iowa State’s Darien Porter and Cal’s Nohl Williams.
• Jeremiah said the following about Porter, calling him more of a project-type player: “In terms of having some tools, some raw tools to work with, but you have to be a little bit patient, Darien Porter from Iowa State, height, weight, speed. He can play the ball down the field. He just is a little bit tight, but you have some things to work with there.” (Jeremiah)
• Regarding Williams, Jeremiah believes he’s more likely to step in and contribute immediately: “Another Cal kid, Nohl Williams, who has a ton of production, and I think is ready to play right away. You can watch the Auburn game with him. I think he had three picks in that game. Picked off Cam Ward. A pick-6 against Cam Ward in that game. Feisty, physical. Maybe a little quicker than fast. We’ll see what he runs, but he is another one kind of in that third, fourth round range.” (Bretl)
• Jeremiah also thinks safety should be addressed in the draft with only three players currently under contract. He named Georgia’s Malaki Starks, Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts and Cal’s Craig Woodson as players who fit new DC Lou Anarumo’s cover-one scheme. (Bretl)
• Starks and Watts are considered versatile defenders who can also contribute in the slot while Woodson is an experienced mid-round option, per Jeremiah. (Bretl)

Jaguars

• ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes there’s a 75 percent chance the Jaguars will move on from WR Christian Kirk this offseason. Kirk is scheduled to make $16.5 million in 2025 and is coming off of a broken collarbone. The team currently has both WR Brian Thomas, Jr. and signed WR Gabriel Davis last offseason, so Kirk has become expendable.
• Graziano notes Jaguars TE Evan Engram is another cut candidate but thinks it’s unlikely the team will cut both players. He adds Kirk has also been productive enough that the Jaguars could squeeze trade value out of him.
• Mike Kaye reports the Jaguars are expected to hire Panthers assistant OL coach Keli’i Kekuewa to their coaching staff in an unspecified role.
• Jaguars executive Tony Boselli said there’s no question about Trevor Lawrence being their franchise quarterback: “We believe that we have a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, I’ll pound the table for that one.” (SiriusXM NFL Radio)