With the 2017 through 2021 classes already reviewed, the next stop in the Chris Ballard draft review series is 2022. This was a pretty solid class, especially considering the Colts did not have a first-round pick.
The strength of the class is obvious. Alec Pierce developed into a high-level receiver, Bernhard Raimann became a quality starting left tackle, and Rodney Thomas gave the Colts good value from the seventh round. Nick Cross also became a useful starter, even if his departure after the 2025
season hurts the overall evaluation.
The issue is that the class thins out quickly after the top names. Jelani Woods never became the player the Colts hoped for, Eric Johnson was only a rotational piece, Andrew Ogletree has been fine as a depth tight end, and Curtis Brooks never made it to the regular season.
Round 2, Pick 53: Alec Pierce, WR
Pierce has become a very good player for the Colts.
It took him some time to get there, and that slow start does affect the grade a bit, but his 2025 season changed the way he should be viewed. Pierce emerged as one of the Colts’ most important offensive players and became a legitimate high-end receiving option. He may not be a true No. 1 in the traditional all-around sense, but he is about as good a No. 2 as you can find, and his ability to stretch the field gives the offense something every team needs.
Pierce can take over games vertically. He changes how defenses align, forces safeties to respect the deep ball, and opens space underneath for other players. That type of role has real value, especially in an offense that needs explosive plays.
The big contract confirms that the Colts see him as a major piece moving forward. He developed, produced, and earned a second deal with the team.
It is hard to give an A or A+ based mostly on one great season, but Pierce has clearly turned into a strong pick.
Grade: A-
Round 3, Pick 73: Jelani Woods, TE
Woods is a frustrating miss.
His rookie season showed real promise. He had the size, athleticism, and receiving upside to become the kind of tight end the Colts had been searching for. At a position that was wide open for years before Tyler Warren arrived, Woods had every opportunity to take control of the job.
It just never happened as injuries destroyed the next few seasons, and he never became a meaningful piece of the offense. The flashes from 2022 were not enough to overcome the lack of availability and production after that. For a third-round pick, especially at a position of need, the Colts needed much much more.
He eventually left for the Jets, and the Colts moved on without ever getting the payoff they hoped for.
The rookie season keeps this from being a complete failure, but overall, it was a miss.
Grade: D+
Round 3, Pick 77: Bernhard Raimann, OT
Raimann is the best pick of this class.
Finding a quality starting left tackle in the third round is excellent value. Raimann has developed into a high-level player on the left side and has become one of the most reliable pieces on the Colts’ offensive line. He rarely misses time, rarely has truly bad games, and has given the team stability at one of the most important positions in football.
He is not quite in the top three-to-five range at his position, which keeps this from being an A+, but he has emerged as a top-10 level left tackle. For a third-round pick, that is about as good as it gets.
Raimann is still on the team, still playing at a high level, and still one of the better examples of Ballard finding great value outside the first round.
Grade: A
Round 3, Pick 96: Nick Cross, S
Cross was a good player for the Colts, but the ending hurts the grade.
He brought a physical presence to the defense and gave the secondary a different type of edge. There were some rough moments, especially earlier in his career, but overall he became a net positive on the back end. His final two seasons with the Colts were quality starting seasons, and he looked like the type of player who could have remained part of the defense moving forward.
That is what makes his departure so frustrating. Cross left for the Washington Commanders this past offseason, and it is still hard to understand why the Colts did not retain him.
When a third-round pick develops into a starting safety and then leaves after a couple of good seasons, it changes the evaluation. The pick itself was fine, and the player became useful, but the long-term Colts value was not what it should have been.
Because of that, the grade lands lower than the player’s ability probably suggests.
Grade: C
Round 5, Pick 159: Eric Johnson, DT
Johnson was a decent depth pick.
He spent three years with the Colts across two stints and provided rotational defensive line depth. He was never anything special, but he also was not a disaster when he was on the field. For a fifth-round pick, that has some value.
At that point in the draft, you are hoping for players who can make the roster, play snaps, and provide depth. Johnson did that to some degree.
The issue is that the impact was limited and the time with the team was not especially long. It was fine value, but nothing more than that.
Grade: C
Round 6, Pick 192: Andrew Ogletree, TE
Ogletree has been a solid sixth-round pick so far.
He has not become a major offensive piece, but he has been a useful backup tight end and remains on the roster. There is still a chance he earns more reps this season, especially if the Colts continue to use multiple tight ends and want more size in certain packages.
For a sixth-round pick, “useful backup who is still developing” is a perfectly acceptable outcome. He has not done enough to earn a high grade, but he has shown enough to be considered a decent pick.
Grade: C+
Round 6, Pick 216: Curtis Brooks, DT
Brooks never made it to the regular season with the Colts.
There is not much to evaluate here. Sixth-round picks miss all the time, but when a player does not even make it to the regular season, the pick gave the team nothing.
Grade: F
Round 7, Pick 239: Rodney Thomas II, S
Thomas was a very good seventh-round pick.
He was never anything special, and his overall play was probably average, but the draft slot changes the entire evaluation. For a seventh-round pick to give the Colts two acceptable seasons as a starter and four overall seasons including special teams work, that is strong value.
Most seventh-round picks do not become multi-year contributors. Many never make the roster at all. Thomas did far more than that. He played meaningful defensive snaps, started games, and provided depth and special teams value.
That is a clear win for where he was selected.
Grade: B+
Overall Grade: B
The 2022 draft class was a good one.
Pierce and Raimann carry the grade. Both became high-quality starters, both are still on the team, and both look like important pieces moving forward. Pierce gives the offense a dangerous vertical receiver, while Raimann gives the Colts stability at left tackle. When you find those players in the second and third rounds, especially without a first-round pick, that is a strong result.
There was also some useful value later. Cross gave the Colts two good seasons as a starter, even though his departure brings the grade down. Thomas was excellent value in the seventh round, Ogletree remains a useful backup tight end, and Johnson provided some rotational depth.
The downside is that the class does not have much staying power beyond Pierce, Raimann and Ogletree. Woods was a miss, Brooks gave the team nothing, Cross is gone, Thomas is gone, and Johnson was only a limited rotational player.
Still, the top of the class is strong enough to make this a good draft. It is not special, and it is not on the level of 2018, but it produced two high-end starters and several useful pieces.
