INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce responds well to pressure.

Last year, when the Colts spent a second-round pick on fellow wide receiver AD Mitchell, who threatened Pierce's short and long-term status with the team, Pierce responded by leading the entire NFL in yards per catch.

This season, in the final year of his rookie contract, Pierce is better than ever, rounding out some of the rigid parts of his game to become a more complete receiver (and he's leading the league in yards per catch again).

“Yeah, I mean, he's (Pierce) been arrow-up since he's got here," Colts head coach Shane Steichen said this week. "He's making big-time plays down the field. His intermediate game is making big strides, so he's able to do a lot for us offensively – moving him around, trying to get certain matchups.

"His route-running ability, coming in and out of the breaks, have been huge for us. He's made huge strides in that. His catch radius has been strong. So, he's been awesome for us last year, and obviously this year, the way he's playing has just been phenomenal for our football team.”

Once known only as a deep threat, Pierce is still checking that box, but he's also catching more passes at or inside the sticks, both outside the numbers and over the middle. Outside of drawing up screens and short yards-after-catch opportunities for him, there isn't much that Steichen's offense isn't asking Pierce to do as a receiver.

It's not just the big plays that have endeared Pierce to the Colts' organization, though. It includes all the little things, like the work done in the background at the facility throughout the week. However, on the field, it's knowing the ball isn't coming to you, but pulling the attention of defensive backs from the real target anyway.

The greatest example of the things Pierce does that won't show up for him on a box score is his willingness to block for his teammates. Last Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, the Colts' offense held the ball at their own 17-yard line. Pierce was lined up on the right side on a run play for Jonathan Taylor up the middle.

Taylor took the handoff from Daniel Jones and found nothing but resistance up the middle. He bounced out to the left side and found daylight, beating a defender down the left sideline for an 83-yard touchdown. When Pierce recognized Taylor had room to run, he sprinted all the way from the offense's right side, down the field to get in front of Taylor and block for him along the left sideline, helping clear a path for the go-ahead score.

“That's the effort that you look for on tape," Steichen said of Pierce's hustle and blocking on the play. "I mean, even when we're watching opponents on tape – guys that chase and run to the football. I mean, that's the standard, right? So, obviously, he does the standard in the pass game, but he also does it in the run game.

"On that 83-yard run, he's hauling down there to get that block on the third-level defender. So, that's what you want out of your guys. He's been doing a hell of a job of that for us all year.”

The Colts recently made a blockbuster trade, which included sending Mitchell to the New York Jets. With Mitchell — once the most significant determining factor in Pierce's Colts future — out the door, it doesn't take a genius to see that Pierce is now a high priority for the Colts among their approach to 2026 free agency.

Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL. 

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