With the first preseason game of the year for the Pittsburgh Steelers coming tomorrow, fans will finally have a chance to see some of the newest additions to the team demonstrate what they can do. While rookie receiver Roman Wilson is unlikely to play, the man the Steelers drafted after him, Payton Wilson, should have ample opportunities to display his talents. Former offensive lineman and current analyst Brian Baldinger recently visited the Steelers at training camp, and apparently, he loved what he saw from Wilson.
Baldinger visited Saint Vincent College two days ago, and on a recent episode of his podcast, The Best Football Show, he stated that no one stood out more on defense than Wilson.
“The guy that stood out on defense is their draft pick, Payton Wilson, out of North Carolina State,” Baldinger said. “He was a third-round pick. First of all, you can’t help but notice his size and how he runs. He ran in the 4.3s at 238 pounds, and he’s 6’4”. You just see this tall, fast kid that gets to the ball every play.”
Baldinger has been raving about how good Wilson is going to be since he was drafted, and it sounds like seeing him in person only solidified that belief. However, an important context is needed here. Part of the reason Wilson may have stood out more is that players like T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward weren’t practicing that day.
However, there are other great players on the Steelers’ defense, and Wilson still stood out. While his 40-yard dash time didn’t come in the 4.3 range as Baldinger believes, it isn’t any less impressive. At the NFL Combine, Wilson posted a time of 4.43. For context, Patrick Queen, who the Steelers signed partly because of his speed and coverage ability, ran a 4.50 while also being significantly smaller than Wilson.
Wilson isn’t just an athlete, either. Last year, he won the Butkus Award for the best linebacker in college football. He also won the Chuck Bednarik Award for the best defensive player in college football. Past winners of that award include Minkah Fitzpatrick, Aaron Donald, and Patrick Peterson. Those things don’t guarantee Wilson’s success, but they’re good signs that he has great potential.
We’ll see how Wilson fairs in his first NFL action tomorrow. Even though he might not be listed as a starter this year, he should be the Steelers starting dime linebacker. That should be a perfect role for him to acclimate to the league, and as long as he stays healthy, he should get numerous chances to prove that he was the best linebacker in his draft class, as Baldinger believed him to be.
