While the recent drafts for the Indianapolis Colts have been solid, there have also been some frustrating picks in the bunch. Cornerback Quincy Wilson is no different as he now enters his fourth NFL season.
Having been selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, there were high hopes for Wilson to be an every-week starter. That hasn’t happened and while the 23-year-old mad some progress during this second season, his third campaign saw him take another step back.
From Wilson’s point of view, he was robbed of that progress.
“It was definitely frustrating,” Wilson told Stephen Holder of The Athletic. “I felt like in my second year (2018), I was coming off a good year and I finally figured out some things and I had something to build on. I feel kind of like I got robbed of that (progress) this year, however it went down.
Wilson did show some signs of life in 2018. Thanks to the tutelage of veteran Mike Mitchell, who taught Wilson some of the ways of longevity in the NFL, the Florida product looked to finally be taking a step in the right direction.
However, the 2019 season was far from that. Whether he was dealing with an injury or simply not being in the game plan, Wilson’s third season in the league saw him take a backseat to several players in the cornerback room.
This isn’t just the rookie in Rock Ya-Sin. Wilson was passed over for guys like Rolan Milligan down the stretch. Another rookie in Marvell Tell was used in a similar manner over Wilson.
It ultimately comes down to playing on special teams and Wilson simply isn’t a part of that. If he’s not one of the starting cornerbacks and he’s not going to contribute on special teams, there isn’t a role for him on game days.
The Colts cornerback room wasn’t one that lit the world on fire in 2019. There were bright moments with Ya-Sin, and Kenny Moore is truly turning into one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL. But there is still room for Wilson to grab a role.
Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Wilson has a big offseason ahead of him. It will be interesting to see if he can make something of what could be his final year as a Colt.