Rookie Spotlight: Alec Pierce, Cincinnati (Photo via Cincinnati Athletics)
Height: 6-3
Weight: 208
Hands: 9″
Arm: 32 5/8″
40 yard dash: 4.41
NFL Comparison: Eric Decker

College Production (Final Season)
20% team receptions
26% team receiving yards
24% team receiving TDs

Breakout Age: 21

Pros
-Brings in contested catches
-Good body control
-Excellent speed for his size
-Quick feet
-Tracks ball well in air

Cons
-Concentration drops
-Raw route runner
-Falls down after the catch often
-Mediocre ball skills
-Didn’t have a breakout season until his final year at Cincy
-Very disappointing Senior Bowl week
-Struggles to separate versus great corners

Scouting Notes:
The Cincinnati Bearcats played above their heads this past season, and a big contributor to their success was their speedy deep threat, Alec Pierce. 6’3” with 4.44 estimated speed, Pierce has little trouble getting open downfield. His footwork at the top of his routes is quick and nimble, and though he tends to round his out routes, Pierce has the quickness to make up for much inefficiency there. Pierce gets “open” even when he isn’t open though, mostly due to his ability to consistently bring down contested balls. One thing to keep in mind is that Pierce had the advantage of one of college football’s top passers, Desmond Ridder, getting him the football. When you watch Pierce’s 2021 film, it does give you a lot of appreciation for Ridder’s willingness to trust Pierce to go get the football, as well as Ridder’s ability to put it in just the right spot to allow Pierce to win.  He’s got leaps, I expect him to test well at the Combine, and he always seems to find the ball in the air before his defender. Often, Pierce catches the ball in a position that prevents him from making much headway after the catch and he ends up falling down shortly thereafter – a frequent complaint lobbed against Mike Evans early in his NFL career. Where he catches the ball is sometimes where the play ends. Fortunately for him, he’s usually well downfield by the time it gets to him. And though Pierce doesn’t possess the physical play that a player of his size might exhibit, he has the body control and quickness of a smaller receiver. This combination of savviness and range makes him useful all over the field.

ALEX DUNLAP AND TRASHMAN TALK ALEC PIERCE:

Fantasy Outlook:
Pierce’s somewhat suspect hands will be on notice at the Senior Bowl – He’s prone to concentration drops, despite his success with contested catches. We’ll also need to find out if he can still find openings against big, fast corners on a consistent basis. He was mainly used as a deep ball specialist, and we’ll need to see more from him to justify making him a desirable dynasty pick. If he can muster the toughness necessary to stay on the field, he should return dividends.

FROM THE CINCINNATI ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT

2021: Cincinnati’s top receiver collected All-AAC Second-Team honors… Cincinnati’s first CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team honoree since 1997… Exceptional athlete who was named to The Athletic’s annual “Freaks” List by Bruce Feldman…Ranks 15th in UC history with 1,834 career receiving yards…Set career highs in receiving yards (867) and receiving touchdowns (8)…His 867 receiving yards are the 15th-highest in a single-season at UC… …His 17.34 yards per catch is the fourth-highest ever for a UC pass-catcher in a single seson…Was named CoSIDA Academic All-District… Graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering this December in 3.5 years…After only four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown in his first two games combined, he hauled in five catches for 86 yards at Indiana…Followed that game up with a career-high 144 yards at No. 9 Notre Dame, helping lead the Bearcats to their first-ever Top-10 win on the road…Had six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown in the win over Temple… Brought in a 19-yard touchdown in UC’s second-straight 50+ point performance in the win against UCF…Had 113 yards and a touchdown on five catches at home against Tulsa with ESPN College GameDay in town…Had four touchdowns in the last three games of the year…Hauled in two scores versus SMU…Had a huge game at ECU, bringing in a season-high eight catches for 136 yards and another touchdown…Tallied 65 yards, including a 44-yard catch and a touchdown to help the Bearcats win their second-straight AAC Championship in the 35- 20 win over Houston…Ended the year with five catches for 40 or more yards and 13 plays for 20+ yards.