Since the unfortunate career-ending injury to Ryan Shazier, the Pittsburgh Steelers have tried a multitude of different options to fill his spot in the middle of their defense. They’ve tried trading up in the first round, developing some players who were already on the roster, and spending decent money in free agency. Nothing has really stuck though, although things looked promising last year before injuries devastated the position. However, the Steelers may have their best shot in a while at a Shazier replacement in rookie Payton Wilson. Based on some recent comments from safety DeShon Elliott, it sounds like Wilson has been impressive so far.
Elliott has played in the NFL since 2018, so he’s seen his fair share of great defenders. Signed this offseason to shore up the back end of the Steelers’ defense alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick, Elliott is just as new to Pittsburgh as Wilson. Speaking recently on the team’s broadcast of Training Camp Live, Elliott talked about how impressed he’s been with Wilson.
“When it comes to preparation, he’s a freak athlete,” Elliott said. “He’s really smart. He learns from his mistakes and doesn’t repeat them twice. I think down the line, he can be a great player. I’ve heard people say Luke Kuechly or something like that, but I think Payton’s gonna be Payton, and he’s gonna be a great player in the NFL.”
Wilson’s athleticism certainly is his most noticeable trait. Standing almost 6-4′ and weighing well over 220 pounds, Wilson shouldn’t move as fluidly or quickly as he does at all. His 4.43 40-yard dash demonstrates just how rare of an athlete he is. On top of that, he isn’t just a size and speed freak because he’s also amazing on the field. He only fell to the third round of the draft because of injury concerns. If he stays healthy, he should be an impact player for the Steelers.
Wilson has also made it clear that he’s willing to do his best in whatever role the Steelers put him in. Based on Elliott’s comments, it sounds like Wilson may not be a star yet, but he’s on the path to get there sooner rather than later. That’s perfectly fine too because the Steelers should have solid players ahead of Wilson on the depth chart. Elandon Roberts played well for the Steelers last year, and Patrick Queen was given a lot of money this offseason, so both of them should be the starters at linebacker to enter the year.
Elliott had some more to say about Wilson in that same interview, expanding on how he’s showed his maturity.
“Just the way he carries himself. The way he prepares when it comes to the film room. The way he comes out here and wants to learn, asking questions from not just us, but also the coaches. A lot of rookies just try to learn off mistakes rather than actually going out of their way to ask. Learning and growing in that way, he’s doing a great job of that,” Elliott said.
Wilson is an older rookie, coming into the league at 24-years old, so that level of maturity makes sense. That also lines up with the comparisons to Kuechly that Wilson has gotten this offseason. Kuechly was a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers from 2012-2019, winning Defensive Player of the Year in only his second season. He was one of the best linebackers of his generation and putting that comparison on Wilson already isn’t fair. It’s good that Elliott got ahead of that and took all those expectations off his shoulders.
If Wilson can function as the athletic, strong coverage linebacker that Shazier was, then he’ll be a home run of a pick. Even if he doesn’t reach that potential, if he stays healthy, he should be a solid building block in the linebacker room for years to come. Thankfully, he has time to grow and develop, and when he does get on the field, he should be the best version of himself.
