The Pittsburgh Steelers selected NC State LB Payton Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft after he fell due to injury concerns. But talent-wise, Wilson might wind up being the best inside linebacker from his class, and CBS Sports’ Chris Trappaso believes Wilson will be one of the best rookie inside linebackers, putting him on the CBS Sports Preseason All-Rookie Team. He called Wilson to the Steelers “a match made in football heaven.”
“Wilson with the Steelers was a match made in football heaven. If he can stay healthy, he’ll be a Pro Bowl type by his second or third season in the NFL,” Trappaso wrote.
Wilson’s path to playing time could be the only thing preventing him from being an instant-impact guy. At inside linebacker, the Steelers have Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts, with Cole Holcomb a potential option depending on how well he’s recovered from his season-ending knee injury. That could limit Wilson’s ability to see the field early in his rookie season, although it’s still possible the team uses him in a dimebacker role.
The key for Wilson to get to the Pro Bowl level that Trapasso believes he can is really just staying healthy. If he stays healthy, he should be a productive linebacker for the Steelers, who have really keyed in on the off-ball linebacker position. They signed Roberts and Holcomb last offseason, then added Queen and Wilson this offseason. That duo could form the future inside linebacker tandem for Pittsburgh, and be a talented one at that.
Wilson was a star at NC State, winning the Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player in 2023. For his career, he had 402 total tackles, 6 sacks and 7 interceptions.
No other Steelers player made Trapasso’s list, as he didn’t include the center position, opting for interior offensive linemen as a category. But he still didn’t include Zach Frazier on his second team or as an honorable mention. Troy Fautanu also didn’t make the second team, nor was he an honorable mention in the offensive tackle category.
Both Fautanu and Frazier are expected to start, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they played like the best rookies at their position either, although there’s slightly more competition in terms of the rookie class along the offensive line than at off-ball linebacker. Either way, Wilson looks like a steal as a third-round selection, and Pittsburgh’s rookie class as a whole could be a talented group that forms the foundation of their roster for years to come, particularly with Frazier and Fautanu along the offensive line.
