A former Butkus Award winner who slid to Round 3 over medical concerns and is now chasing the Steelers' franchise tackles record.
Payton Wilson was one of the most decorated linebackers in college football before durability questions dropped him to the third round. Two seasons into his Steelers career, the NC State product has answered those doubts by becoming Pittsburgh's leading tackler.
Path to the league
Wilson was a unanimous All-American at NC State in 2023, winning both the Dick Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player, and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 138 tackles, six sacks and three interceptions. Despite running a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the combine, Wilson lasted until pick 98 in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, largely due to a long injury history that includes playing college football with only one functioning ACL.
Career highlights
Wilson quickly became a full-time contributor in Pittsburgh's defense, showing off the range and instincts that made him a college star despite the medical red flags that caused his draft slide.
2025 season recap
Wilson led the Steelers with 126 tackles (74 solo) across all 17 games in 2025, adding two sacks, two pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery. His 14-tackle, two-pass-defense performance in a Week 9 win over the Colts stood out, and through 10 games he was on pace to break James Farrior's 2003 franchise tackles record.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Payton Wilson
- Pro Football Reference: Payton Wilson
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | steelers | 17 | 126 | 74 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2024 | steelers | 17 | 78 | 49 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- NC State
- Hometown
- Hillsborough, NC, USA
- Age
- 26
- Status
- active
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