Getty Image / Nicholas Faulkner
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been masters at getting value out of the middle and later rounds of the NFL Draft for fifty years, it seems. That’s why they’ve been one of the most consistent franchises in the NFL.
Anything can happen once guys take the field. But, it looks like they’ve picked arguably the steal of the draft in North Carolina State inside linebacker Payton Wilson.
Wilson was the Bednarik and Butkus Award winner this past season after a stellar year for the Wolfpack. He had 138 total tackles, 6 sacks, and 3 interceptions. His highlights are spectacular.
Ummmm guys.
I don’t think you understand how good of a player Payton Wilson is at 98.
This might be my favorite pick……. pic.twitter.com/dU3fGDHBX1
— Baku 🐧 (@Mazursky8895) April 27, 2024
His testing numbers were off the charts, too.
Payton Wilson is a LB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.89 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 33 out of 2889 LB from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/DbavM351zL pic.twitter.com/dtRP3MMUTK
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 22, 2024
So, why did he drop all the way to the 98th pick? The 24-year-old has serious injury concerns. Wilson has torn his ACL twice, and is without one ACL.
Just now on NFL Network @rapsheet reported on Payton Wilson's fall in the draft: "one of his knees does not have an ACL" … if that's true his performance the last two years is absolutely outrageous.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) April 27, 2024
Those are certainly legitimate concerns. A ton of talented NFL players fail because their knees simply cannot hold up. And, Payton Wilson could definitely fall into that category.
But, he dominated college football last year while having the same injury issues. That won’t predict the future, but it is certainly a positive thing.
At pick 98, it seems like a great upside play. If he stays healthy, there’s no reason he isn’t a Pro Bowl-caliber inside linebacker from the moment he makes his debut. He has All-Pro upside, too. Again, he has to stay healthy, but if he does, he should be a star.
Payton Wilson could follow in a long line of great Pittsburgh Steelers middle linebackers like Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, and James Farrior.