When the Pittsburgh Steelers were on the clock with the No. 98 selection at the end of the third round for the 2024 NFL Draft, it was a bit of a surprise to see NC State ILB Payton Wilson still available. He was the Bednarik and Butkus award-winning linebacker for the 2023 college football season, and on talent alone, he looked like a Day 1 or early Day 2 pick. His injury history was the big concern, but that gave the Steelers an opportunity to land a potential impact player pretty far along in the draft. Some have called Wilson one of the biggest steals of the entire event.
He joins a crowded room with Elandon Roberts, Patrick Queen, and Cole Holcomb, but don’t be surprised if the Steelers find a meaningful role for him as a rookie.
“The way I lead my room is that everybody must be ready so nobody gets kicked to the curb. Everybody gets prepared that they’re gonna get all the reps,” ILB coach Aaron Curry said after one of the spring practices in a video posted by Post-Gazette Sports on YouTube. “I think it’s just our job as a defensive staff to recognize his superpower and use it to our advantage.
“He’s a fast, athletic guy that will play physical, that can also cover. As we go through this thing, we’ll find a home for him where we can use his superpower to our advantage.”
It’s no knock on Queen or Holcomb, who are also plus athletes at the position, but Wilson immediately steps in as the freakiest athlete of the bunch with a 4.43-second 40-yard dash and a 6047, 233-pound frame. Beyond the measurables, Wilson comes with elite production at the college level, capping his college career with 138 total tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, three interceptions, three pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a defensive touchdown.
He was consistently a playmaker, and that is the result of his athleticism combined with his mentality on the football field.
“I wanna make every play,” Wilson told me at the Senior Bowl this year. “If we play 90 snaps, I wanna make 90 tackles and I’m not coming off the field.”
Curry summarized it best – fast, physical, and can cover. Inside linebackers have to wear a lot of hats in today’s game, but if you boiled it down to a few traits to build the perfect linebacker, those would be near the top of the list.
The Steelers haven’t even put the pads on yet, and they are already considering a dime linebacker role for Wilson in sub-package football. Pro Football Focus gave him a nearly elite grade of 89.8 overall for his 2023 college performance. Breaking it down into specific areas of his game, they gave him a 90.4 “elite” coverage grade.
Wilson also excels at rushing the quarterback as a blitzing linebacker. He had 15 sacks throughout college, primarily as an off-ball linebacker, and showed great burst to quickly get into the backfield and finish plays. I did a film room on all of his college sacks, which you can check out below.
If the Steelers find that his “superpower” is best suited for a sub-package role at first, he will have a huge opportunity in front of him. If he excels as the dime linebacker then it will only be a matter of time before he finds himself being worked into the base defense. I agree with Alex Kozora, I’m buying all the buzz on Payton Wilson.
