Who doesn’t love a feel good story? Today’s feel good story comes from the Indianapolis Colts‘ seventh round selection, Hunter Wohler, who sent himself flying through the air to intercept a pass from two time league MVP, Lamar Jackson.
“Hunter Wohler leaps in the air, stretching his arms up to snatch the football flying over his head. He immediately tucks the ball to his chest before twisting and tumbling to the ground, where he stays for a moment to make sure he really did just catch that football,” recounts Colts writer Amanda Foster.
“When he gets up, the football in his hands, his grin is visible through his face mask as he greets his teammates, all of whom have rushed to join him to celebrate the rookie’s interception.”
Wohler was just 13-years-old when Lamar Jackson hoisted his Heisman Trophy. As such, the future Hall of Famer holds rare air for the 232nd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
No one celebrated harder for the rookie than fourth year linebacker Segun Olubi. Wohler was asked about his relationship with Olubi after the practice, and the rook revealed the conversation the two shared earlier in the day.
“He was like ‘Hey, man, you could go pick off Lamar,’” Wohler reveals. “And I was like ‘Bro, that’s not gonna happen.’ He looked at me kind of sideways, and I was like ‘He’s not gonna be in when I’m in there.’”
Hunter Wohler Fighting For A Roster Spot
Nothing is guaranteed to a seventh round pick. But it seems Wohler’s mix of size, smarts, and production has put him in a good position to make the team come Septembers.
ESPN’s Stephen Holder tells us he appears to be in the good graces of the powers that determine playing time in the secondary.
“Wohler, who has been turning heads as a safety/linebacker, had a breakout day on Tuesday,” Holder writes. “During the final period of practice featuring two-minute situations, Wohler had an interception off Ravens star Lamar Jackson, corralling the ball with a leaping catch. On the next series, Wohler grabbed another interception against the No. 2 offense off a tipped pass. He’s now challenging for a rotational role on defense in sub-packages.”
At six-foot-two, weighing well over 200 pounds, Wohler is the prototype size for an in-the-box safety. He led all Big 10 defensive backs in tackles two seasons ago, recording 120 in 2023. He also led the entire nation in solo tackles that year.
He has elite size and range and appears to be a lock to make the 53-man.
The Rookie Getting Praise From Coach/Teammates
After back-to-back interceptions during joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens, Wohler is beginning to turn some heads inside the building.
“I thought it was phenomenal,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “He’s been standing out all camp, making plays. Just a really smart, cerebral player that works at it. The effort’s there all the time. And when you give great effort, the ball’s gonna find you.”
His intelligence is something that fellow defensive back Cam Bynum has picked up on as well.
“Him being able to come in here and learn multiple spots in the defense, being able to play safety, play at the dime position, to be able to pick that up and know your responsibility first and foremost, that’s a tough thing to do,” Bynum said.
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