Despite having an impressive collegiate career, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie LB Payton Wilson fell to the Steelers in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Why did an All-American, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and Dick Butkus Award winner fall to the third round of the draft? Well, he’s missing an ACL.
Playing without an ACL sounds difficult, but Wilson had no idea he was missing one.
“I get on the table [at the NFL Combine], and they’re like, ‘This guy don’t got an ACL,'” said Wilson on The Arthur Moats Experience with Deke Podcast. “And I like literally looked at the doctor, I’m like, ‘Are you sure that you have my file?’ Because I have torn my ACL before, but I haven’t had problems with my knees since 2018. Like, no problems at all…if I don’t go to the combine and they don’t find those things, I don’t fall to where I fall, and I don’t end up with the Pittsburgh Steelers. So, I mean, it worked out. It worked out beautifully. I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”
Wilson was flagged for having medical concerns after this discovery at the NFL Combine. Wilson missed almost all of his 2021 season with a shoulder injury, but other than his 2021 season, he played at least 10 games in four seasons. That’s not something an injury-prone player does.
Like Greg Lloyd or Hines Ward, being ACL-less isn’t impacting his play. In his final year in college, he recorded 138 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, six sacks, intercepted three passes, forced one fumble, and recovered two. And so far with the Steelers, Wilson has seen a lot of playing time, as Pro Football Reference has him playing 48 percent of the defensive snaps for Pittsburgh.
So far in his rookie year, Wilson has struggled at times, but that is to be expected. However, despite his struggles, he has also made some big plays, like a touchdown-saving tackle against the Atlanta Falcons in Week One. Wilson has made 20 tackles through five weeks, a solid number for a rookie.
Although Payton Wilson was taken by surprise to learn he doesn’t have an ACL, as he said, it was a blessing. The lack of an ACL has not seemed to slow him down one bit, and the Steelers are lucky to have drafted a first-round talent in the third round. Now, Wilson gets to be mentored by veterans like Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts as he grows as a player and hopefully becomes the next great Steelers linebacker.
