Pittsburgh Steelers rookie LB Payton Wilson made the best play of his young career Sunday in Pittsburgh’s 18-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens, ripping the ball away from RB Justice Hill on an interception during a drive where the Ravens could’ve taken the lead. Wilson has been productive for the Steelers this season, but the play yesterday was one of the biggest of the games and directly impacted the outcome. During his weekly press conference, Mike Tomlin credited the veterans in the inside linebacker room for showing Wilson the ropes and helping him develop.
“It’s not necessarily the work template that he sets for himself, it’s much like talking about [Nick] Herbig. He’s got some real solid professionals in his group in Elandon Roberts and Patrick Queen,” Tomlin said Monday via the team’s YouTube channel. “And he just does a good job of just being a humble young guy and coming alongside those guys and learning from them and asking good questions. He is willing to work, but that’s often the case with a lot of young guys. They don’t have necessarily a template of how they go about their business on a seven-day cycle. But I see the makings of good professionalism in him in that he’s a tireless worker, he’s legitimately humble, and he listens and follows veteran guys who do it the right way.”
It’s tough for young players to acclimate to the NFL lifestyle and the weekly preparation, but having two veterans who have been highly successful players in the league in Queen and Roberts ahead of him certainly makes things easier for Wilson. It sounds as if Wilson understands that and has done all the right things when it comes to asking questions and learning from those guys, and it’s shown in his play this season.
While the interception yesterday was the defining play of Wilson’s season so far, he’s been an impact player for the Steelers with 42 tackles and a tackle for a loss so far, and he also led the team with 10 tackles in Week 7 against the New York Jets. After that game, Queen praised Wilson and said he knows he can be even better, and his play yesterday showed some of the potential that he has for the Steelers. It’s rare for a linebacker to have the combination of speed and tenacity that Wilson brings, and while that makes him a threat against the run, it also allows him to make plays in coverage as we saw yesterday.
Roberts knows what it’s like coming to a team with an established linebacker room, and the way veterans treated him as a rookie has helped him embrace young players like Wilson. Having two veterans who are eager to show Wilson how it’s done in the NFL and help him develop will be paramount to him continuing to grow into a key player for the Steelers. As the season has progressed, it’s been clear that their guidance has played a major role in Wilson blossoming for Pittsburgh.
