Former Badger Hunter Wohler was a breakout player last year in the Indianapolis Colts training camp. His role continued to increase, and as the preseason came around, he was even chipping into a place where he could be the backup or fighting for a starting spot, especially with the other injuries on the Colts' roster. Then Wohler got injured and was deemed out for the season.
That starting role is back on the table for Wohler, the former seventh-round pick. He's in an open competition for a safety spot against A.J. Hauncey, a third-round pick in this year's draft. According to ESPN's Stephen Holder, it's one of the position battles and biggest storylines to watch in this year's training camp.
"The Colts are taking a closer look at second-year safety Hunter Wohler, who sustained a season-ending injury in camp as a rookie last year. He is in a competition with rookie A.J. Haulcy, who was impressive in the spring and looked to have the edge at strong safety. This will be a position battle to watch."Stephen Holder, ESPN
Hunter Wohler is in line for a starting safety spot on the Colts if he can beat out rookie A.J. Haulcy
Related: Wisconsin has a top-20 valuation approaching $1 billion, surpassing their rivals
Wohler has had an interesting journey with the Indianapolis Colts even though he's never played in a regular-season game. He was drafted in the seventh round but was immediately listed as a linebacker by the Colts. Yet, was projected to be a safety on the roster. The message was that Wohler provides versatility and depth. Which is about all you can ask out of a seventh-round pick: to make the roster, provide depth, and help on special teams.
That was the exact role he was projected for, and then injuries came to the Colts, and GM Chris Ballard was paying attention to Wohler's ability to be a starter. Nick Cross going down set up a pivotal opportunity. It came as no surprise to Badger fans who were more frustrated that it took till the seventh round for the NFL to recognize his NFL potential. Sure, his intangibles don't jump off the chart, but he is a gamer.
Wohler's preseason games were great. In the first Colts preseason game against the Ravens, Wohler racked up nine tackles in just the first half, which was a team high. He was also turning a ton of heads during training camp, and one of his interceptions in camp made its way around the internet. Colts fans were starting to think they found a diamond in the rough.
However, he never got to prove it, and his season was shut down before it even started. Now, Wohler gets another big chance. Went from seventh-round to not sure if he would make the roster to injured, and now he's in line to start if he can just hold off the third-round pick from LSU, A.J. Haulcy. Wisconsin fans will want to pay attention to the news coming out of Colts training camp.
Add us as a preferred source on Google