Payton Wilson

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pos LB

Updated October 8, 2026

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Model Score

77.1 MODEL

2024

74.8

2025

76.4

2026

77.1

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

Rookie tier 6 (#42) to sophomore tier 8 (#77) is a 35-spot regression for a 3rd-round Butkus Award winner that flags the rookie finish as situational. The NC State 2023 Butkus Award plus the structural Steelers anchor role gives him real college foundation. The 2026 question is whether Wilson returns to tier 5-6 territory or whether the structural tier 8 finish becomes the stable baseline.

Wilson came out of NC State as the Pittsburgh Steelers' 3rd-round pick (98th overall) in 2024 after winning the 2023 Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker. He has anchored the Steelers' linebacker corps across two seasons next to Patrick Queen. His STTM career runs tier 6 (#42) rookie to tier 8 (#77) sophomore, a 35-spot regression.

Strengths

NC State 2023 Butkus Award plus the 98th overall draft slot establishes elite college foundation.
Two years of Steelers system experience plus the structural anchor role next to Patrick Queen gives him real developmental runway.

Concerns

35-spot regression from tier 6 (#42) rookie to tier 8 (#77) sophomore confirms the rookie ceiling was situational.
Pittsburgh's broader defensive identity around T.J. Watt's primary pass-rush priority compresses Wilson's structural snap share.

What to watch: Whether Wilson returns to tier 6 (top 50) in 2026, the threshold for confirming the rookie ceiling was structural.