ESPN: Pittsburgh Steelers’ selection of NC State LB Payton Wilson among best Round 3 picks

Steelers kick off draft on offensive roll

The Steelers went all offense with their first three picks. First, Pittsburgh picked Washington’s Troy Fautanu. Then came their new center, Zach Frazier of West Virginia. Then the Steelers addressed their receiver needs with Michigan’s Roman Wilson. (Pittsburgh owned two selections in the first round).

Then, the Steelers’ defensive coordinator got someone for his side of the ball. And in Wilson, they drafted a ferocious linebacker who reportedly slid in the draft because teams had concerns about his injury history. When healthy, Wilson was good enough to win both the Butkus (top linebacker in the country) and Bednarik (best defensive player) in 2023. He also was a unanimous All-American.

Then he showed off at the NFL Combine, running a 4.43-second time in the 40-yard dash. That time was the fastest of all the linebackers.

“He was a guy we had high on our board,” Austin told reporters. “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,” said the Steelers defensive coordinator. “He brings some physicality to our defense. The ability to cover guys. That’s what I look at.”

As a review, here are the Steelers draft picks:

Troy Fautanu – Offensive Tackle – Round 1
Zach Frazier – Center – Round 2
Roman Wilson – Wide Receiver – Round 3
Payton Wilson – Linebacker – Round 3
Mason McCormick – Guard – Round 4
Logan Lee – Defensive End – Round 6
Ryan Watts – Defensive Back – Round 6

Wilson slipped because of knee issues

Wilson’s injuries included ACL tears severe enough to make other teams take a pause. But Wilson said injuries are part of what motivates him.

“I think when you turn on my tape, I think you can see that I play with my hair on fire,” Wilson told reporters Friday night, “and that’s really because of what I have been through.

“I have seen the game can be taken away from you, so I just play as hard as I can.”

Later, Wilson said he watched the Steelers while growing up in North Carolina. He modeled his game on how the Steel Curtain played.

“Hard, fast, physical and playing as tough as you can play,” Wilson said. “Super excited to get with everyone there and continue to elevate my game.”