Who Should I Start? Alec Pierce or Devaughn Vele

Sunday, January 5, 8:34 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce did his usual thing on Sunday, catching a deep 40-yard touchdown pass on the team's opening drive and adding another 17-yard catch in the 26-23 win over the Jaguars. Despite only 37 receptions on the season, the 24-year-old finishes as the Colts' receiving leader with 824 yards and seven touchdowns. With blazing speed, he led the league in average depth of target (aDOT) which helped him rack up the yardage. The former second-round draft pick will likely fill a similar role in 2025 but, unless he can garner additional targets, it's hard to envision outpacing this season's production. Nevertheless, he should be worthy of at least a bench spot in next year's drafts, as he can be a viable (yet volatile) fill-in when the bye weeks hit.

Saturday, June 7, 1:10 PM

The Denver Post's Troy Renck writes that Denver Broncos second-year wide receiver Devaughn Vele has been turning heads during voluntary organized team activities this offseason and looks like he could be the future replacement for Courtland Sutton. The 27-year-old was a seventh-round pick (235th overall) last year out of Utah but served as the team's slot receiver in his first year in the NFL for most of 2024, finishing with 41 receptions on 55 targets for 475 yards and three touchdowns in 13 regular-season games (seven starts). Vele is old for a second-year wideout, but if he continues to impress the coaching staff, he could continue to have a big role in Year 2 alongside Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr., but he's going to have to fight off Troy Franklin and rookie Pat Bryant. The Broncos also added tight end Evan Engram, who could very well be the No. 2 receiving target for quarterback Bo Nix.