As someone who dedicates a tremendous amount of time studying NFL draft prospects, when I see a player I grade very high start to tumble, I have to wonder what I missed. In most cases, it is related to information the public isn’t always privy to, such as injuries.
This was the case as I watched North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson slide. Other linebackers were being drafted and I know they did not have the film or have the skills of Wilson. So why did it happen to allow the Pittsburgh Steelers to snag him at the end of the third round of the 2024 NFL draft?
According to the analysts on the television broadcast, it was because Wilson has been playing without an ACL since tearing it two years in a row. But all you have to do is put on the tape and understand that the lack of an ACL has done nothing to slow him down.
Wilson won’t need to start as a rookie with Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts as the starter but he is simply too good to keep off the field all year. We give this pick an A and can’t wait to see how the Steelers use his diverse set of skills and ridiculous athleticism.
