INDIANAPOLIS – When Sunday mornings arose last fall, Quincy Wilson would flip on ESPN where the highlights from the previous day's college football action scanned across the screen.
Often, Wilson was seeing this No. 24 from Ohio State showing up quite often.
"I remember turning on SportsCenter every Sunday morning and seeing he had another pick six or something crazy," Wilson says.
*He *was Malik Hooker. Yep, Hooker, the highlight reel, consensus All-American safety last year at Ohio State.
Hooker had seven interceptions last year, three returned for a touchdown, which set a school record for the Buckeyes.
Once the hoopla of being drafted by the Colts settled for Wilson a few weeks back, he quickly realized that the guy from SportsCenter was about to be his secondary running mate.
"I just knew he was a playmaker," Wilson said of Hooker. "I was excited to be on the same team as him.
"They drafted two playmakers and two guys who can really come in and make an impact. That's what we are here to do."
The Colts are definitely counting on the playmaking ability of Hooker and Wilson.
Hooker did it by getting his massive hands on balls last year. Wilson's playmaking came from locking down opposing SEC receivers better than any other cornerback in the country's best conference.
When Hooker saw Wilson's name flash across on Day Two of the draft, he couldn't help but smile.
"As soon as we got drafted we connected from there," Hooker says of Wilson.
"He's one of the guys I've talked to a lot since I came in. I can't wait to get on the field and compete with him."
With Hooker scheduled to be back on the field for Training Camp, and Wilson the favorite to play opposite Vontae Davis, there's a strong chance the Colts will have two rookie starters in their secondary this season.
Speaking of Davis, he made sure to sit down with Hooker and Wilson last week.
Last Thursday, with the rookies reporting for their three-day minicamp, Davis had dinner with his newest secondary teammates.
Some early coaching tips from Davis were shared to the rookies, before they embarked on their first work week in professional football.
Are the SportsCenter moments coming again this season?
"I feel like this group is definitely capable of making a great run this year," Hooker says. "We got great leaders in our room, Vontae and Darius (Butler). As young guys, you just follow and do your job."
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