By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts transitioned from a disappointing AFC squad with Carson Wentz to a darkhorse Super Bowl contender with Matt Ryan. With that said, the Ryan-led squad could really have a strong chance to be the next surprise AFC Champion with production from a few underrated Colts players. Hence, I’m going to simply outline three breakout candidates for the Colts.

Alec Pierce

The Indianapolis Colts had one of the best value second-round picks in Alec Pierce. The Colts rookie out of the University of Cincinnati has the size (6’3, 215) and 4.4 speed. I believe his presence has made T.Y. Hilton expendable and he should really be involved across from Michael Pittman Jr. in his rookie season. The ESPN analyst Louis Riddick believes that Pierce could even win OROY in 2022.

Kwity Paye

I expect DE Kwity Paye to really learn how to use his power in his second season. The new pass rusher Yannick Ngakouye and elite Deforest Buckner will allow the Colts 2021 first-round pick to have excellent opportunities in 2022. Most importantly, I expect opposing teams to be forced to keep pace with Ryan and the Colts pass-rush should absolutely have more opportunities to pin their ears back than last season. Bucky Brooks of NFL.com named Paye as one of his sophomore breakout players in 2022.

Rodrigo Blankenship

The Colts popular kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, also known as “Hot Rod”, battled a hip injury last season. I expect him to return stronger in his third season and unveil a career-season in 2022. He should have plenty of opportunities to flash his ability (and character) in very competitive match-ups next season. I trust that Blankenship delivers a Pro Bowl-like season and he creates more excitement in the NFL world.

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