New York Giants Training Camp Preview - DB Quincy Wilson

Quincy Wilson is a former second-round draft pick who is still trying to catch on with an NFL team. What does he have to offer?

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jul 23, 2021 3:30 PM EDT

Quincy Wilson returns to the Giants organization this year which now boasts a very crowded defensive backfield room, especially at cornerback.

In three seasons at Florida, Wilson finished with 81 tackles (4.5 for a loss), one sack, three interceptions, and 14 pass breakups. He had his best season in 2016, after taking over for Vernon Hargreaves after he left the program for the NFL draft. That season, Wilson, in a career-low 13 games played, posted career highs in tackles (33), sacks (1.0), interceptions (3), and pass breakups (6).

Following his production, a solid combine performance, and an equally strong pro day, Wilson, was selected in the second round of the 2017 draft by the Colts. His rookie campaign was interrupted by a knee injury though Wilson recovered from that only to become a healthy scratch reportedly due to not being a special teams contributor.

After spending three mostly unspectacular years with the Colts, Wilson was traded to the Jets in 2020 just before the draft. Wilson’s tenure with the Jets was short-lived—he appeared in three games but didn’t record any stats and was waived on November 6.

Wilson, who signed with the Giants practice squad on November 17, was elevated to the 53-man roster in Week 15 after cornerback James Bradberry was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after coming in close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

What He Brings

Wilson is listed at 6’2” and 193 pounds, and it’s his size that likely drew the Giants’ attention. Although Wilson has mostly played outside cornerback, the Colts did try to take advantage of his size and coverage skills by moving him in the slot or at safety, the latter where he’d match up against tight ends.

During the combine, Wilson ran a lackluster 4.54-second 4-yard dash, putting him in the 28th percentile, and his explosiveness numbers weren’t much to get excited about either, though he did shine with his agility testing.

The speed issue is a concern because sometimes Wilson gives up a little too much of a cushion and ends up not having the recovery speed to close in, particularly on back shoulder or outside throws.

That said, Wilson appears to be a better fit for zone coverage than man schemes, as win zone, his use of smart angles puts him in an ideal position to disrupt passes.