The Pittsburgh Steelers’ selection of LB Payton Wilson at No. 98 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft has garnered almost universal praise, and Pro Football Focus lead draft analyst Trevor Sikkema is among those who think Wilson will excel in Pittsburgh. Sikkema looked at the best player-team fits at every position in the draft, and Wilson to the Steelers was named the best fit at off-ball linebacker.
Wilson, who won the Butkus and Bednarik Award as the best linebacker and defensive player in college football last season, fell due to medical concerns, but Sikkema thinks that Wilson can make an impact on Day 1 for the Steelers.
“Nonetheless, he has a chance to be a starting linebacker for the Steelers this upcoming season,” Sikkema writes. “If he’s anything like we saw in 2024, he can be an impactful player for Pittsburgh in Year 1.”
Pittsburgh has struggled to find consistency at the inside linebacker position ever since Ryan Shazier’s career-ending injury, and Wilson might be the best bet for the team to find a homegrown replacement for Shazier. Ironically, Shazier was helping put players through drills at Pittsburgh’s rookie minicamp last weekend, of which Wilson took part.
Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports also named Wilson to the Steelers the best player-team fit in the draft, writing that Pittsburgh is a “magnificent situation” for the rookie linebacker.
Wilson also had a lot of praise for inside linebackers coach Aaron Curry for getting him up to speed, and he’s joining a room under Curry that should be a strength for the Steelers this year. In addition to drafting Wilson, the Steelers also signed Patrick Queen, and the two of them will join Elandon Roberts, who impressed in his first season in Pittsburgh in 2023.
Wilson will likely initially slot in behind Queen and Roberts on Pittsburgh’s depth chart, but his natural athleticism and ability could see him move up rather quickly. Even so, the Steelers will likely utilize three inside linebackers the same way they did last year with Cole Holcomb, Roberts and Kwon Alexander, so Wilson should still see playing time right off the bat.
Even with the medical concerns, it was a surprise to see Wilson fall as a far as he did, and the Steelers jumped at the chance to add a player considered by many to be the best inside linebacker in the class. Daniel Jeremiah said he’d rather have three years of Wilson than seven years of some of the other off-ball linebackers taken ahead of him, and Wilson’s medicals haven’t been much of a concern over the past two seasons.
The type of injuries he suffered also don’t give too much of a long-term worry as Melanie Friedlander noted. If Payton Wilson can stay healthy, he could be one of the biggest steals in the draft and potentially be a long-term answer for the Steelers in the middle of their defense.
