Initial analysis: Grading the Steelers’ selection of LB Payton Wilson Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, 22 NFL teams shared medical reports on Wilson before the draft, with every one of them deeming him a “one-contract player.”
The consensus seems to be that Wilson’s health problems will drastically shorten his playing career. If there has been one thing to learn from the first two drafts that Steelers general manager Omar Khan has overseen for Pittsburgh, it’s that his front office is not afraid of some injury question marks when it comes to a player they like. This year,
that player was NC State linebacker Payton Wilson, a consensus late first-round/early second-round talent who fell into the bottom of the third due to a plethora of injury red flags.
In that same report, Rapoport noted that Wilson has a lingering shoulder issue along with two former ACL tears, with a source saying that Wilson is even missing the ligament in one of his knees. It isn’t a deal-breaker — Steelers great Hines Ward played his entire career without one — but it does remove stability from a knee Wilson was already having issues with.
Interestingly enough, this is the second straight draft that the Steelers have selected a player deemed to have a short career before they even step on an NFL field. And in both cases, the situations were eerily similar.
Georgia tight end Darnell Washington was getting early-round buzz prior to the 2023 NFL Draft after the 6’7, 264-pound pass-catcher tested off the charts at the NFL Combine. He was already seen as one of the best blocking tight ends in the 2023 NFL Draft, but after running a 4.64-second 40-yard dash, he looked like he could be a legitimate weapon in the passing game.
However, on draft weekend Washington wasn’t selected in the first two rounds and remained on the board near the end of the third. Reports surfaced that Washington had knee issues, with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo even stating a year later that a Washington selection was “one of those deals where you kind of figure you got him for four years and that’s it.”
However, Pittsburgh liked the upside, and with their fourth pick in the top 100 in 2023, they drafted Washington, medical questions and all, with pick No. 93 in the third round.
Washington’s career hasn’t been anything exceptionally good or bad up to this point, with the tight end recording just seven receptions for 61 yards in his rookie year. However, he’s yet to miss an NFL game, playing in all 17 matchups his first season as well as Pittsburgh’s playoff game. In the regular season, he recorded 511 offensive snaps and 141 special teams snaps per Pro Football Reference, making his presence known as a powerful down-blocker.
Washington may be considered a four-year player, but he’s yet to show a sign of slowing down. If anything, expectations are even higher entering his sophomore season.
A year later, the Steelers once again had four picks in the top 100. And for the second straight draft, they spent their last third-rounder on a player with eye-opening talent but plenty of medical red flags, nabbing NC State’s Payton Wilson with pick No. 98 in 2024.
Like Washington, Wilson is unlikely to be an immediate every-down starter for the Steelers. However, his absurd athletic numbers and versatility should make him a valued member of the Steelers’ inside linebacker rotation immediately.
To draw another comparison to Washington, Wilson has had his share of injury issues, but nothing recently. He played a full season with NC State in 2023, appearing in 12 games and recording 138 total tackles, six sacks, and three interceptions. If those numbers seem incredible, it’s because they are. Wilson went on to win the 2023 Butkus Award as college football’s top linebacker.
In fact, he played 10+ game seasons in four of his five years as a college football player. Wilson’s knee may be a ticking time bomb, but there still seems to be plenty of quality snaps left on the timer.
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