As expected, Florida’s star defensive back Quincy Wilson will enter the NFL Draft.
Wilson announced his decision today, and I can’t exactly say it’s a surprise. He’s projected by most to be a first round pick, and is unanimously considered one of the top five cornerbacks on the board. He’s got a great size-and-quickness combination, which makes him the optimal guy to deal with monsters like Amari Cooper and O’Dell Beckham.
The only shot I could have really seen Florida having to keep Wilson for his senior year was the idea of playing with his brother, Marco. But that was pie in the sky at best, as the pros of declaring early- namely, all the millions of dollars he’s going to make- heavily outweighed the cons.
Now for the hard part.
I’ve been rough on Quincy before for opening his mouth at times where I really didn’t want him to- like the time he guaranteed a win against Tennessee- but I’ve come to regret it. As his father Chad told me himself, he’s an extremely confident kid who works harder than anybody else out there and then dares you to beat him. And that, regardless of how devastating the Tennessee loss is, is precisely the kind of attitude that will earn him multimillion dollar contracts if he continues to grow and improve. I’ve since come around to understand that this type of mentality is what fuels people. And though I don’t agree with it all the time, I can respect it. And I will dearly miss him.
Because Quincy Wilson got burned maybe twice all year. Once on an end zone out route pass to Georgia’s Riley Ridley and once against LSU on a deep ball- a play that his teammate Teez Tabor saved him on by acting as a safety flying in and breaking up the pass. That’s it, twice. That means that on every single defensive snap but two in the 2016 season, Quincy Wilson either had his man covered or the QB wasn’t brave enough to test him. If that’s the kind of result that comes from that brash attitude, I’m all for it. So: I’m sorry, Q.
Better yet, everybody I’ve spoken to loves Quincy Wilson in the locker room, which completes the “he will be missed on and off the field” cliche. And he will be, but he’ll make some NFL team very happy.
Best of luck to you, Q. Thanks for everything. You’ve got a fan in me for life.
