Insider: Lots to learn for Colts rookie Quincy Wilson after preseason debut

INDIANAPOLIS – No defensive player saw more snaps in the Indianapolis Colts’ preseason opener than Quincy Wilson.

Coach Chuck Pagano and his coaching staff threw their rookie cornerback right into the fire Sunday, putting him through the paces for 50 grueling snaps against the Detroit Lions.

And Wilson saw it all. Deep balls. Short ones. Passing game. Running game. He was confronted with the full gamut of challenges an NFL cornerback can expect in any given game, making this the most accurate depiction yet of what Wilson might provide in the regular season.

And yet, it’s somewhat difficult to know what to make of it all.

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Your assessment likely depends on your perspective. Was Wilson’s outing a case of the proverbial glass being half-full or half-empty? Do you credit him for being in ideal position to defend the touchdown reception he allowed, or criticize him for not playing the ball as the moment of truth approached?

There were other instances in which similar questions could be posed. But whatever your stance, this fact remains: The performance gave Wilson something very tangible to build on.

“I wouldn't say it was a bad or a good performance,” Wilson said. “I was right there. I just need to make the plays.”

And, with a little refinement, Wilson likely can. The second-round pick from the University of Florida is not your prototype shutdown corner. Even the Colts admit as much. But he is as competitive a corner as you’ll find, one willing to mix it up with receivers both at the line of scrimmage and all the way down the field with his long frame.

And that’s what Wilson did with 5:23 remaining in the first quarter, when he lined up in man coverage against Kenny Golladay. With Golladay running toward the corner of the end zone, Wilson stayed with him step for step, until Golloday came back for the underthrown football from quarterback Jake Rudock. Wilson could easily have defended the pass, had he known where the ball was.

Which he did not.

“He was in position, you just have to turn and find the ball, and that (comes from) just playing,” Pagano said. “That’s just confidence. The guy has got talent, he’s got length, he can run, all of those things. They have to play.”

The coaches clearly are taking the half-full approach with Wilson. And that’s probably the right method for a kid who celebrated his 21st birthday on Wednesday and hasn’t even begun to tap into his vast potential.

Defensive coordinator Ted Monachino said, “It just takes time for guys to realize that it’s an eyelash. That’s the only thing that separates open and not open. So, I think he learned a lot in the game. I was pleased with a lot of things he did so far. He’s determined and he’s focused on getting better.”

Playing the past three years in the Southeastern Conference, even with all its talent, Wilson might often have been able to get away with the use of improper technique on a play like the Golloday touchdown. But Sunday’s game showed just how costly even little miscues can be in the NFL.

One thing the Detroit game demonstrated was Wilson’s physical style. It was the hallmark of his game at Florida and he’s brought it with him to Indianapolis. Wilson embraced the press-man style of coverage the Colts often play, and he’s not at all shy about hand-fighting with receivers within five yards of the line of scrimmage where contact is permitted (and, sometimes, beyond).

“I'm a big guy, so I have to be physical and set the tone,” Wilson said. “I think I showed physicality, and now I just have to bring it next week and every week.”

Among the concerns about Wilson coming out of college was his lack of elite speed. He was clocked at 4.54 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, a relatively average time for a high draft pick. But Wilson hasn’t given any cause for alarm about a lack of speed either in training camp or in his first game.

He was glued to his man every time a ball came his way, and did not seem overmatched from a speed perspective.

“If we put him out there and told him, ‘Okay, you’re going to go out and take the (No. 1 receiver) out of the game for the entire game, I think that would expose any corner, Monachino said. “But being able to get in and out of some different calls, playing some zone, playing some man, some pressure, where the ball has to come out a little faster, I think that helps Quincy. He’s right where he needs to be.”

Whether he’ll be in the starting lineup when the regular season begins is still an unknown. Wilson has worked almost exclusively at right cornerback, behind Pro Bowl corner Vontae Davis. The most viable path to getting on the field immediately is for Wilson to compete at left cornerback, where journeyman Rashaan Melvin has been practicing with the starting defense (Melvin is currently out with an undisclosed injury). It’s unclear if or when Wilson will get that shot.

But, for now, the goal is progress. And, if you take the half-full approach to Wilson’s first game, it was exactly that.

Follow IndyStar Colts Insider Stephen Holder on Twitter and Facebook.