Hunter Wohler eager to showcase his talents at NFL Combine
By GERY WOELFEL
Hunter Wohler would embrace the opportunity of extending his football career by playing for the Green Bay Packers.
After all, he is a Wisconsinite through and through. He was born in Muskego, attended Muskego High School and then the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
And, to top it off, he is an admitted Packers fan.
“Yeah, I was a Packers fan growing up,’’ Wohler said. “It would be cool if I was drafted by them. It would be cool to play for the home state team.
“It would be one of those cool stories. It would be great.’’
Whether the Packers select Wohler is anyone’s guess. There are 31 other NFL teams and they, like the Packers, are likely to have the talented safety on their draft boards, too.
The Packers met with Wohler at the recent Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Sources said the Packers are definitely interested in drafting a safety in the later rounds.
Wohler said the meeting with the Packers well and that it was more of a feeling-out session.
“It was mostly like all of the other interviews,’’ Wohler said. “You sit down with one or two guys from a team and they talk to you about your background, talk a little bit about ball, talk about your college career.
“It went well.’’
There’s plenty of things to talk about Wohler’s stellar four-year career at Wisconsin, which landed his services over national powers Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Wohler grabbed the attention of NFL scouts during his junior season with the Badgers when he was a dominant force. He was credited with 126 tackles that season, which was the most by a Badger in more than three decades.
Wohler’s sterling play was a silver lining for the Badgers, who struggled the last two seasons under head coach Luke Fickell.
Wisconsin was 7-6 in Fickell’s first full season with the Badgers in 2023 and then went 5-7 last season. But Wohler said he’s fully supportive of Fickell, who had turned Cincinnati into a big-time program while recording a 57-18 record in six seasons with the Bearcats.
“He definitely took a lot of fire, but me and coach Fickell definitely have a great relationship,’’ Wohler said “He’s a great coach, in my opinion.
“He’ll give his everything for the team. You can tell he truly cares about his guys just by the way he acts after games, after losses. He truly hurts for us and hurts for the program.
“You can tell how much he wants this for everybody and how much he cares for the team. Like I said, I think he’s a great coach. I give it not much time before he gets the place back on track.’’
Wohler doesn’t have much time to make an even more favorable impression on NFL teams. After all, the three-day draft, which will be held in Green Bay, commences on April 24.
However, the 6-foot-1 (without shoes), 217-pound Wohler fully realizes he can improve his draft stock with a strong showing at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Like all of the other draft prospects at the Combine, Wohler will be undergo a battery of physical tests while once again having interviews with numerous teams. He said he’s eager to display his skills and capitalize on the opportunity he’s been afforded.
When asked what he considered his biggest asset as a player, Wohler replied: “I think the best thing I offer is versatility and being able to play all over the field. I can play down in the box, I can play in the post, I can cover man to man.
“I’ll do whatever is asked of me.’’
