Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Profile- Payton Wilson

Name- Payton Wilson

Position- Linebacker

Height- 6’4”

Weight- 238 lbs

Team- N.C. State

Drafted- 3rd round (98th pick overall by Pittsburgh)

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected linebacker Payton Wilson out of North Carolina State in the 3rd round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Wilson was a consensus 4-star prospect coming out of Orange High School in his hometown of Hillsborough, North Carolina. At N.C. State as a freshman in 2019, he led the team in tackles despite coming off the bench in every game except one. As a sophomore starting linebacker he had a breakout season and was named first team All-ACC. He tallied 108 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 2 interceptions.

At the NFL combine, Wilson was a superstar and showed off his athleticism. He ran a 4.43 in the 40, which was the fastest of any linebacker in Indianapolis. He also had an impressive 1.54 in the 10-yard-split and a 9’ 11” broad jump.

Injuries, however have always hampered Wilson’s journey. He suffered ACL injuries in high school and missed most of his junior season at N.C. State with shoulder surgery. The Steelers didn't seem to mind and grabbed a linebacker that has a 2nd round grade, but slipped due to his injury history. 

"He was a guy we had high on our board," said defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. "Liked him as a football player. Very productive, fast, really has good football instincts. All the things you want in a football player. Seeing him where he was and having an opportunity to get him, we thought that was a good thing and we like where we're at with that. He brings some speed to our defense. He brings some physicality to our defense. The ability to cover guys. That's what I look at.”

Payton Wilson’s brother Bryce pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021-2022 is no stranger to Pittsburgh. 

"I came to a few games," said Wilson. "It's one of my favorite cities of all time. Super familiar with the city. Also, super familiar with how much Pittsburgh loves their professional sports teams. Super excited to get there.”

Wilson is a versatile linebacker who will instantly add depth behind Elandon Roberts and Patrick Queen, before taking over the reins.

"My versatility speaks for itself," said Wilson. "I am able to play in the box as well as drop into coverage. Growing up watching the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, that is the way I model how I play. Hard, fast, physical and playing as tough as you can play. Super excited to get with everyone there and continue to elevate my game.”

Here is a look at Draft Nation’s scouting report on Payton Wilson:

Strengths

• Tackling
• Length
• Toughness
• Athleticism
• Versatility

Wilson plays quick and physical and is a fantastic tackler who has the toughness, work ethic, and competitiveness to succeed in the NFL. He is a great run stopper and plays well in passing situations. He always knows where the football is and is aggressive when moving toward it. He fills running gaps and makes tackles that less athletic linebackers may miss while also being able to drop back into shallow coverage when needed to defend passes.

Weaknesses

• Shedding blocks
• Injury History

On the downside, Wilson lacks the top end strength to shed blocks, which may catch up to him at this level. He tends to try to run past blocks instead of using his arms and hands to break them down. He likes to lower his shoulders and attempt to penetrate run blocking schemes with a burst of speed. This tendency could also explain his injury history with two bad shoulders requiring surgery.