Hunter Wohler may have been picked 232nd in the 2025 NFL draft but that number does not indicate how important the former Wisconsin Badgers star’s role will be for his pro team.
Hunter Wohler
Feb 28, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin defensive back Hunter Wohler (DB55) participates in drills during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Indianapolis Colts selected the 22-year-old linebacker in the seventh round in the April event. He was predicted to be picked in the fifth round.
The team must be feeling lucky because no opponent picked Wohler earlier because they believe he is a perfect piece for what they are planning to do this season.
Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo thought the NFL now is a match-up league and Wohler will be crucial for them. He said the former Badgers star could play multiple roles, allowing them to provide the best match-ups in each game.
“It’s a matchup league,” Anarumo said as quoted by Badger Notes.
Indianapolis Colts Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo
New Indianapolis Colts Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo speaks during a press conference Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025 at the Colts practice facility, the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
“If the offense puts out a certain personnel group, you want to be able to match it with what they’re doing, especially on third down. You want to try to get cover guys covering receivers and, nowadays, these tight ends. … The days, to me, of putting linebackers on tight ends is not ideal for the defense.”
Colts coach raves about Hunter Wohler
Colts general manager Chris Ballard trusts Anarumo. He thinks his deputy is doing the right thing and that is why they picked Wohler.
“Lou is pretty creative with what he’s going to do,” he said.
“We listed [Wohler] as a linebacker. He’ll play a little bit of both.”
It feels like things are falling in the right places for Wohler. He played four seasons with the Badgers and there, he experienced changing positions to better suit the team’s needs.
Wisconsin Badgers, Luke Fickell, Hunter Wohler
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell, left, helps safety Hunter Wohler (24) get off the field after being injured during the fourth quarter of their game Saturday, November 16, 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Oregon beat Wisconsin 16-13.
Wohler credits his former team for this part of his game.
“My freshman year in college, early on in camp and the first couple of weeks of the season, I was lost, to be honest,” he said.
“It was a wake-up call, but having the coaches that I had, it forced me to grow my understanding of the game and my knowledge of defense.”
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