OWINGS MILLS, Md. – 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.
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. No one was more visibly excited than linebacker Segun Olubi, though, who was leaping and hollering all the way out to greet Wohler on the field, then all the way back to the sidelines. It was hard to make out exactly what anyone was saying in all the hollering and cheering, but one thing Olubi yelled was clear:
"Manifest!"
Why? Well, because Wohler – a seventh-round rookie – had just picked off MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. And because, not long before, Olubi had told Wohler to manifest exactly that.
"He was like 'Hey, man, you could go pick off Lamar,'" Wohler said Tuesday, after the Colts' joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens. "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.'"
Wohler has been taking snaps with the second and third teams, primarily, throughout training camp so far, which is to be expected for a rookie who is joining a deep and experienced defense. He had no reason to expect to see Jackson on the field at the same time as him. But Olubi had a feeling that somehow it would work out, and he was right.
Then, all it takes is one play.
Thanks to pressure from the Colts' defensive line forcing Jackson to scramble out of the pocket and throw on the run, Wohler had the opportunity to make one of the biggest plays of the day and didn't shy away from it.
Then, just minutes later, he got another one.
This time, Ravens backup quarterback Cooper Rush was under center as Wohler lined up as a safety (he had been playing as a linebacker on his first interception). Rush got his throw off but just before it reached his intended target, linebacker Austin Ajiake jumped up and tipped the ball into the air. Wohler, a few yards past Ajiake (and the play), readjusted, turned and lunged forward with a Superman-esque dive to catch the football right before it hit the ground.
Wohler's teammates once again rallied around him, with everyone from Cam Bynum to Jonathan Taylor – a former Wisconsin Badger, just like Wohler – congratulating the rookie.
"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. "But for him to just come out here and continue to grow and take the ball away as a DB, that's the main thing. That's what they pay you for, that's what you're here for, to take the ball. If you can't do that, then it's hard to stay in this league."
"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."
Wohler prides himself on his ability to play as both a safety and a linebacker and has been consistently showing his mental and physical prowess on the field since he joined the Colts, ready to do whatever he must to prove himself. He's also approaching training camp, and all of preseason, with the right kind of mentality – so even though, yes, he did pick off Lamar Jackson, he knows that come Thursday's preseason game it won't matter anymore.
"Every day is a new day," Wohler said. "And you know that today happened, and now you got to wake up and do it again tomorrow, and then come the game on Thursday you have to do it again. Every day is a process of just proving yourself and getting better, finding ways to get better. So it's cool, but every day is a new day."
View the best shots from the Colts' joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday at the Under Armour Performance Center.
G Quenton Nelson #56
T Matt Goncalves #71 and G Tanor Bortolini #60
G Quenton Nelson #56
QB Anthony Richardson #5
T Matt Goncalves #71
WR Ajou Ajou #9
LS Luke Rhodes #46
DE Kwity Paye #51 and LB Jacob Phillips #54
G Quenton Nelson #56
QB Daniel Jones #17
WR Josh Downs #1
S Trey Washington #41 and S Ladarius Tennison #43
TE Tyler Warren #84
DE Kwity Paye #51
WR Josh Downs #1
WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11
TE Drew Ogletree #85
98 DT Eric Johnson II
WR Josh Downs #1
WR Alec Pierce #14
RB Jonathan Taylor #28
S Nick Cross #20
WR Josh Downs #1
WR Josh Downs #1
DT Devonta Davis #61
RB DJ Giddens #21 and QB Daniel Jones #17
WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11
WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11
DT Josh Tupou #69
TE Drew Ogletree #85
QB Anthony Richardson #5
WR Alec Pierce #14
WR Ashton Dulin #16 and T Blake Freeland #73
CB Samuel Womack III #33
RB Tyler Goodson #31
T Marshall Foerner #64, C Wesley French #62, T Matt Goncalves #71, T Jalen Travis #75, C Danny Pinter #63, Tony Sparano Jr. Offensive Line, T Luke Tenuta #67, G Tanor Bortolini #60, G Dalton Tucker #68 and Chris Watt Assistant Offensive Line
WR Josh Downs #1
DE JT Tuimoloau #91
WR Josh Downs #1
RB Khalil Herbert #26
G Tanor Bortolini #60
WR Alec Pierce #14 and G Quenton Nelson #56
WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11
WR D.J. Montgomery #2
DE Kwity Paye #51
DE Kwity Paye #51
RB Ulysses Bentley IV #37
WR Ashton Dulin #16
DT Adetomiwa Adebawore #95
CB David Long Jr. #34
WR Alec Pierce #14
LB Cameron McGrone #59
WR D.J. Montgomery #2
WR Alec Pierce #14
WR Ashton Dulin #16
WR Anthony Gould #6
WR Coleman Owen #3
S Ladarius Tennison #43, S Rodney Thomas II #25 and S Hunter Wohler #30
WR Ashton Dulin #16
WR Josh Downs #1
LB Liam Anderson #47, CB Kenny Moore II #23, S Hunter Wohler #30 and CB Samuel Womack III #33
WR Tyler Kahmann #43
WR Michael Pittman Jr. #11
RB Tyler Goodson #31
WR Coleman Owen #3
CB Johnathan Edwards #35
RB Jonathan Taylor #28
TE Tyler Warren #84
WR Tyler Kahmann #43
S Hunter Wohler #30
WR Coleman Owen #3
CB Jonathan Edwards #35
CB Duke Shelley #34
WR Alec Pierce #14
WR Coleman Owen #3
DT DeForest Buckner #99
LB Segun Olubi #50
QB Anthony Richardson #5
WR Josh Downs #1
CB Johnathan Edwards #35
WR Adonai Mitchell #10
CB Charvarius Ward #7
QB Daniel Jones #17
QB Daniel Jones #17
G Quenton Nelson #56
Shane Steichen Head Coach
QB Anthony Richardson #5
QB Anthony Richardson #5
RB Ulysses Bentley IV #37
LB Zaire Franklin #44
S Hunter Wohler #30
S Hunter Wohler #30
G Quenton Nelson #56 and S Hunter Wohler #30
T Matt Goncalves #71, C Wesley French #62, G Josh Sills #66, T Bernhard Raimann #79, G Quenton Nelson #56, C Danny Pinter #63, QB Daniel Jones #17, G Dalton Tucker #68 and C Mose Vavao #67
Brian Mason Special Teams Coordinator, P Rigoberto Sanchez #8, K Spencer Shrader #3, K Maddux Trujillo #48, LS Luke Rhodes #46, Joe Hastings Assistant Special Teams and Isabel Diaz - Harriet P. Irsay Fellow
DT Grover Stewart #90
LB Joe Bachie #48
S Ladarius Tennison #43
WR D.J. Montgomery #2, LB Liam Anderson #47, LB Austin Ajiake #58, TE Drew Ogletree #85, LB Solomon DeShields #53, DT Neville Gallimore #92 and TE Tyler Warren #84
DE Tyquan Lewis #94
LB Cameron McGrone #59
T Matt Goncalves #71
CB Justin Walley #27
CB Johnathan Edwards #35 and S Camryn Bynum #0
CB Kenny Moore II #23 and CB Justin Walley #27
DT Tim Smith #93
CB Justin Walley #27
DT DeForest Buckner #99
DT Grover Stewart #90 and DT DeForest Buckner #99
DE Tyquan Lewis #94
CB Johnathan Edwards #35
DE JT Tuimoloau #91
DE Laiatu Latu #97
DT Grover Stewart #90 and DT DeForest Buckner #99
CB Justin Walley #27 and S Rodney Thomas II #25
DE Samson Ebukam #52
DE Kwity Paye #51
CB Charvarius Ward #7
97 DE Laiatu Latu
LB Joe Bachie #48, DE Kwity Paye #51, DE Laiatu Latu #97, LB Cameron McGrone #59, DT Grover Stewart #90, CB Samuel Womack III #33 and CB Kenny Moore II #23
LB Austin Ajiake #58
DE Kwity Paye #51
DE Laiatu Latu #97
LB Austin Ajiake #58
DE Kwity Paye #51
G Quenton Nelson #56 and RB Jonathan Taylor #28
G Quenton Nelson #56
S Camryn Bynum #0
RB Jonathan Taylor #28
WR Adonai Mitchell #10 and G Quenton Nelson #56
WR Adonai Mitchell #10
WR Alec Pierce #14 and G Quenton Nelson #56
WR Coleman Owen #3, WR Blayne Taylor #4, WR D.J. Montgomery #2 and WR Laquon Treadwell #13
WR Laquon Treadwell #13 and WR Adonai Mitchell #10
G Quenton Nelson #56
TEAlbert Okwuegbunam Jr.# 83 and WR Adonai Mitchell #10
QB Anthony Richardson #5
WR Josh Downs #1
WR Adonai Mitchell #10
WR Adonai Mitchell #10 and WR Laquon Treadwell #13
TE Tyler Warren #84
RB DJ Giddens #21
RB Khalil Herbert #26
S Nick Cross #20
G Tanor Bortolini #60
CB Kenny Moore II #23
WR Landon Parker #8
WR Laquon Treadwell #13
WR Laquon Treadwell #13 and WR Anthony Gould #6
QB Anthony Richardson #5
WR Adonai Mitchell #10
QB Daniel Jones #17
