 Wilson with thePittsburgh Steelers in 2025 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 41 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (2000-04-21)April 21, 2000 (age 25) Hillsborough, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 242 lb (110 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Orange (Hillsborough) | ||||||||||||||
| College | NC State (2018–2023) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2024: 3rd round, 98th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2025 | |||||||||||||||
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Payton Wilson (born April 21, 2000) is an American professionalfootballlinebacker for thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theNC State Wolfpack, winning theChuck Bednarik Award andButkus Award in 2023. Wilson was selected by the Steelers in the third round, 98th overall in the2024 NFL draft.
Wilson grew up inHillsborough, North Carolina and attendedOrange High School. As a junior, he made 127 tackles with 39 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.[1] Wilson was also the 2017North Carolina 3A 220-poundwrestling state champion his junior year.[2] His senior year, he had 103 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks before tearing his ACL.[3] Wilson was rated a four-star recruit and initially committed to play college football atNorth Carolina (UNC) over offers fromClemson,Ohio State, andVirginia Tech.[4] He later decommitted from UNC and signed to play atNC State.[5]
Wilson suffered a second knee injury during summer training camp and redshirted his true freshman season at NC State.[6]
He led the Wolfpack with 69 tackles during his redshirt freshman season.[7] Wilson made 108 tackles with 11.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and two interceptions and was named first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in his redshirt sophomore season.[8]
He suffered a season ending shoulder injury in the second game of his junior season.[9] He followed up his junior season with a total of 83 tackles with 39 being solo tackles. He had 4.5 sacks during the season and recorded an interception which he returned for 19 yards.[10]
In 2023, Wilson received theBednarik Award, given annually to the best defensive player in college football, and theButkus Award, given annually to college football's best linebacker.[11] He concluded his college career with 138 tackles (69 solo), six passes defended, 6 sacks, a forced fumble and three interceptions, all career highs.[12]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+7⁄8 in (1.93 m) | 233 lb (106 kg) | 30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 4.43 s | 1.54 s | 2.58 s | 4.20 s | 6.85 s | 34.5 in (0.88 m) | 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) | ||
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[13][14] | ||||||||||||
ThePittsburgh Steelers selected Wilson in the third round (98th overall) of the2024 NFL draft.[15] The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired the third round pick from the Philadelphia Eagles after tradingKenny Pickett and a fourth round pick to the Eagles for the 98th overall selection and two seventh round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Ahead of the regular season, Wilson was named the team's second string left inside linebacker behindPatrick Queen, beating out Mark Robinson for the backup role.[16]
On August 17, 2024, during apre-season game against theBuffalo Bills, Wilson was tackled byRyan Van Demark and his back leg was stepped up on and bent backwards. Despite this injury, he still made his first professional appearance in Week 1 against theAtlanta Falcons where he would make his first tackle on wide receiverDrake London. He would finish the game making three tackles in the 18–10 Steelers victory.[17] By Week 6 of the season, Wilson had accumulated 18 tackles and eight assists, averaging 3.3 tackles a game.[18] On October 13, he recorded his first tackle for loss during the Steelers' 32–13 victory over theLas Vegas Raiders. During the Steelers' 18–16 win over theBaltimore Ravens, Wilson intercepted a pass fromLamar Jackson intended forJustice Hill for his first career interception.[19] He scored his first defensive touchdown in another divisional game, this time against theBengals, when he returned aJoe Burrow fumble for 21 yards as the Steelers won 44–38.[20][21] Wilson finished the regular season with 64 total tackles, one fumble recovery, a defensive touchdown, and an interception. The Steelers achieved a 10-7 record and clinched a playoff berth as the sixth seed.
He made his post-season debut in a 28-14 wild card loss to theBaltimore Ravens on January 11, 2025. During the game, Wilson made three solo tackles and three assisted tackles.[22]
| Year | Team | Games | Defensive | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tot | PD | Int | Yds | TD | FR | TD | ||
| 2024 | PIT | 17 | 4 | 64 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Career | 17 | 4 | 64 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Defensive | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tot | Solo | Ast | PD | Int | FR | TD | ||
| 2024 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Wilson is the younger brother ofMajor League Baseball pitcherBryse Wilson.[23]
