The Pittsburgh Steelers selected linebacker Payton Wilson out of North Carolina State with the No. 98 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Wilson was the consensus No. 1 linebacker in this class, but previous injuries, including the fact that one of his knees no longer has an ACL, worried teams enough to have him fall into the late third round. The league’s loss was the Steelers’ gain, as they add one of the top players in this class at premium value.
Wilson has been compared to Carolina Panthers legendary linebacker Luke Kuechly, as he has a lot of similar measurables, and their playstyles are also quite similar.