Consistency Is the Last Piece Needed for a Steelers 26-Year-Old ILB to Breakout in 2026
Coming out of College, North Carolina State star Payton Wilson was one of my most highly anticipated linebacker draft prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. 48 TFLs, 15 sacks, and seven interceptions through a five-year collegiate career brought the six-foot-four linebacker onto everyone’s radar, but one issue remained: his injury concern. Suffering multiple ACL tears and other knee injuries, combined with a season-ending shoulder injury, teams were scared. Reports quickly surfaced that after Wilson’s second ACL surgery, he was actually missing his ACL team. Teams around the league panicked, justifiably, leading to the N.C. State star falling to Pittsburgh in the third round, where his only injury issues up to this point have been concussions. He hasn’t shown to be a Fred Warner type, making an immediate team-changing impact from the get-go, but as beat writer Alex Roessler would say, “it would be hard to call him a bust.” Wilson has shown flashes and can play well when he’s fully tuned in to the game. His pass coverage has been good, and if he can take the next step towards consistency, his run-stopping will follow, leading many to believe that his ceiling is still very high.
In defense of the North Carolina native, he only played 63% of the Steelers' defensive snaps last year, despite playing in all 17 games. His additional 331 snaps on special teams helped him accumulate 126 total tackles on the year, but it’s a lot to expect from a player in their second year if they aren't given the time to fail, learn, and then succeed. 2026 will be a very big year for Wilson. He has the chance to establish himself as an every-down linebacker, and with this season likely to be Patrick Queen’s last in the Steel City, the young star can thrive heading into a pay year. Steelers writer Mark Kaboly has high hopes for Wilson too, saying, “I think it’s a huge year for Wilson to make that step. First of all, he needs to be the guy who could be more consistent. He has all the talent in the world, but his consistency was kind of lacking last year, which was surprising. He has a chance to make some cash next year or this year going into next.” Wilson can take over the intended role of Queen, who’s entering the final year of his contract. The former Ravens linebacker was expected to be an every-down defensive leader, but his frequent missed tackles, poor positioning, and lack of leadership have likely brought his tenure in the Steel City to an end. It’s the perfect time for Wilson to have a breakout season. Wilson does great; Queen leaves in free agency; Wilson gets paid even more because Queen’s contract is lifted off the Steelers' neck. The opportunity is there, the N.C. State kid just needs to grab it.
Along with his 126 tackles last season, Wilson also had six TFLs, two sacks, and an interception. His production took a major step forward compared to his rookie season, but too often Pittsburgh’s defense allowed big-yardage plays after big-yardage plays. Due to this constant success that teams have found on the ground and launching it deep, it’s hard for an inside linebacker to correctly play both, especially when he’s just getting used to the speed of the NFL. The Steelers brought in Patrick Graham as their new defensive coordinator, and since Queen and Wilson are both only 26, he may be able to get them to perform better than Teryl Austin ever did. NFL fans often say the Steelers have the most expensive defense in the league, yet it has often fallen short of what it looks like on paper. That could happen again, as all the Steel City has done is bolster that defense even more, but if they want to do something truly special, getting a consistent leader out of Wilson has to be a top priority.
