I was as confident in linebacker Payton Wilson as I was any Pittsburgh Steelers player in 2025. As a rookie, he laid a solid foundation and, with his athleticism, work ethic, and effort, seemed ready to break out as a sophomore. Health, his biggest red flag out of NC State, hasn\u2019t been the issue. He\u2019s been durable and available every step of the way.<\/p>\n
And yet. Wilson did not take that jump. His second year was much like his first. Not terrible, but underwhelming in usage and performance, leaving me to wonder what his ceiling and future might be.<\/p>\n
Opting not to use a single snap of dime defense the entire season, Pittsburgh banked on its athleticism at inside linebacker to win out. Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson. Two guys who would lead a 40-yard dash. But that speed hasn\u2019t translated into coverage. Both have been average in coverage, and that might be charitable. In fairness, truly good coverage linebackers are rare, and the league only has a handful of them. But Wilson didn\u2019t offer enough, especially for someone who believed he could be the NFL\u2019s best at the job.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n He had one impressive showing as part of Pittsburgh\u2019s takeaway-fest against the Indianapolis Colts, picking off one pass<\/a> and tipping another that fell into Jack Sawyer\u2019s arms. But those plays weren\u2019t evident the rest of the season. Per our charting, he allowed 76 percent of his targets to be completed and allowed one touchdown.<\/p>\n Though I am careful to lean on PFF\u2019s grades, especially anything in coverage, it\u2019s worth noting how poorly he ranked. A lowly 35th out of 50 qualifiers, a big regression from an 8th-place finish as a rookie.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t just about his coverage. In fact, that might be the more minor of his concerns. Run defense has been the bigger question. Checkered medical history aside, Wilson\u2019s on-field knock at NC State was his run defense. While tall, a severe lack of length (30 1\/2 inches) is unusual for someone of his height. Last offseason, we noted his hesitancy to trust and read his keys and play downhill, causing him to be late to fill his gap and stuff the run.<\/p>\n Largely, that didn\u2019t change in 2025. Wilson hardly improved. That\u2019s evident in his tape and Pittsburgh\u2019s use.<\/p>\n Wilson began the season as an every-down player alongside Patrick Queen. His role slowly shrank throughout, and by year\u2019s end, he ended in the same spot as 2025. A purely nickel-package player who was ignored in base downs.<\/p>\n For the season, Wilson played in just 85 of the team\u2019s 337 base groupings, be it 3-4 or 4-4 personnel. That\u2019s just 25.2 percent. Of those 87, a whopping 53 \u2013 60.9 percent came in the first two weeks against the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks. Over that span, Pittsburgh allowed 249 rushing yards to running backs. With Wilson on the field in those base looks, the Steelers gave up nearly 6 yards per carry.<\/p>\n