The Pittsburgh Steelers took a flier on NC State LB Payton Wilson in the third round, picking the Chuck Bednarik Award winner with the No. 98 overall selection despite a medical history that scared some teams off. But Wilson has been healthy for the last two seasons and one of the best defensive players in college football, and ESPN’s Field Yates loved the value Pittsburgh got in selecting Wilson. In an article naming his favorite picks of the draft, Yates wrote that he thought Wilson was “incredible value” for the Steelers.
“Wilson landed at No. 98 because of his injury history, but the end of the third round was more than a reasonable time to justify the investment — this was an incredible value. I thought he was the most impressive inside linebacker on tape, showing off elite speed and versatility. Wilson can pass rush and cover; he has great range defending runs sideline to sideline and he’s extremely instinctive. Wilson joins free agent signee Patrick Queen in Pittsburgh’s attempt to rebuild the LB room.”
The Steelers have struggled to find consistency at the inside linebacker position. Despite investing in the position in free agency last season, injuries to Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander tested the team’s depth and it was once again a focus in free agency and the draft. Pittsburgh made a splash in signing Queen to the richest free agent contract in team history, and in adding Wilson, the Steelers potentially added a long-term partner for him at the position.
Given that Wilson’s been healthy for the last two seasons, there may not be as much long-term risk regarding his ability to stay healthy. He doesn’t have an ACL in his knee, but neither did Hines Ward and he worked out just fine in Pittsburgh. Given where the Steelers took Wilson, considered by some to be the inside linebacker in the draft, it’s more than worth the risk.
Daniel Jeremiah said on The Pat McAfee Show yesterday that Wilson’s talent makes it a good selection even if Wilson only plays three years, because he’s that much more talented than the other off-ball linebackers who were still on the board.
Obviously, the Steelers would ideally like to get more than three years out of Wilson, but grabbing a Pro Bowl-level talent in the third round isn’t something that happens often, and it sure looks like that’s the type of player that the Steelers got in Wilson. If he can stay healthy, it could go down as one of the best selections in the entire draft.
