PFF ranked the Steelers linebackers as 13th-best in the NFL for the upcoming season.
Last season we all applauded the Pittsburgh Steelers for the moves they made to improve the inside linebacker depth chart. The team added Cole Holcomb, Kwon Alexander and Elandon Roberts and despite the injury bug mowing through them, this group was better than what we’d seen in several seasons.
But this offseason, with Alexander gone and Holcomb still recovering from injury, the team basically had to start over. The front office made a huge signing with Patrick Queen coming over from the Baltimore Ravens and then drafted Payton Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Pro Football Focus ranked the linebacker units and for the Steelers, they were fair with their ranking of No. 13 in the NFL which worked out to No. 8 in the AFC. Here’s what they had to say about the rankings:
The Steelers made a splash at the linebacker position this offseason by bringing in Patrick Queen from the division-rival Baltimore Ravens. Queen has improved every season since entering the league and is coming off a career-high 73.0 PFF grade. He has yet to turn 25 years old, so it’s reasonable to expect that he will continue to get better. Alongside him, Elandon Roberts posted a career-high 72.2 PFF grade on 622 snaps in 2023.
If a few things fall right, this group will end up far outplaying the ranking. Holcomb could still be ready to play this season and he adds significant athleticism and if Wilson is as good as advertised, he might take Roberts’ starting spot next to Queen.
Payton Wilson was one of the best defenders in college football in 2023.
When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed linebacker Patrick Queen in free agency, the inside linebacker position got a huge boost. You might have thought they were done but it was just the beginning for Pittsburgh. The team then went into the 2024 NFL draft and got one of the biggest bargains when they chose linebacker Payton Wilson at the end of the third round.
Wilson was absolutely dominant in college and played with an NFL level of confidence. A confidence he still has after the first few weeks of OTAs. Wilson talked after OTA practice and didn’t hold back talking about what his goals are.
“I’m just super excited to go to Latrobe and compete,” Wilson said. “Like I said since I was a youngin’, I wanna be the best in the world. … I’m gonna come in and I’m gonna help this team win a Super Bowl.”
In 2023, Wilson was the heart of the North Carolina State defense. He finished with 138 total tackles, six sacks, three interceptions and recovered two fumbles. Wilson will compete with veteran Elandon Roberts for reps at inside linebacker next to Queen.
Steelers NFL Draft grade for selecting North Carolina State LB Payton Wilson in the third round
The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to steal talented players out from under noses and have yet again added a young defensive stud with the selection of NC State linebacker Payton Wilson at the bottom of the third round,.
Wilson could surprise and win the starting job opposite of the newly added star Patrick Queen. If Wilson can shrug off the poor medicals that dropped him this far in the draft, he has every bit of talent needed to steal the starting job away from Elandon Roberts as a rookie.
Rangey, intelligent, athletic, and possessing great football instincts, Wilson was every bit a top-end linebacker in this class. If not for poor medicals, Wilson likely would have gone inside the first 40 picks as a locked-in starter. If Wilson can overcome his injury issues, this could turn into one of the steals of the draft.
The Steelers could see multiple rookies in the starting lineup.
The Pittsburgh Steelers put together one of the best draft classes in the NFL in 2024. Pittsburgh made seven picks and all of them have the potential to start at some point in their careers.
But in 2024 the Steelers roster has some needs and we want to see how many of the rookie class crack the starting lineup this season. Here is the full rundown of Steelers picks:
First round – OT Troy Fautanu, Washington
Second round – C Zach Frazier, West Virginia
Third round – WR Roman Wilson, Michigan
Third round – LB Payton Wilson, North Carolina State
Fourth round – IOL Mason McCormick, South Dakota State
Sixth round – DL Logan Lee, Iowa
Sixth round – DB Ryan Watts, Texas
We feel like as of now, there are three rookies who should be starters on Week One. Offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, center Zach Frazier and wide receiver Roman Wilson make the most sense. Inside linebacker Payton Wilson has an outside chance as well but beyond that, it feels more like these guys are future starters but key rotational guys as early as this season.
Cast your vote and tell us how many rookies you predict will start this season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have arguably their most complete defenses in 20 years, and that is awful news for the rest of the NFL
PITSBURGH, PA — If the road to the NFL regular season was a racetrack, we’d be on rounding turn two into turn three at Talladega.
OTAs are the metaphorical beginning of the new season, where players from all 32 teams meet at their facilities together for the first time since the previous campaign. New draftees, signees, and trade acquisitions don some semblance of their new threads, and from here on out, it is all systems go.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most hyped teams in the league in terms of their collection of all three of the aforementioned types of players. Their draft class is widely regarded as one of the league’s best, they signed quarterback Russell Wilson, and their acquisition of quarterback Justin Fields set up one of the more intriguing quarterback battles in recent memory.
And while that will be the aspect that gets the most attention for the next several weeks (and understandably so), what may be flying under the radar is just how good the Steelers’ linebackers are, and their potential to be the best the team has seen in quite sometime.
Pittsburgh snagged star linebacker Patrick Queen from the Ravens by giving him the largest external free agent contract in franchise history (three years, $41 million) and they added the consensus No. 1 linebacker in the 2024 draft class, Payton Wilson, who slid to them with the 98th overall pick.
Both guys have looked incredibly fast in OTAs on the South Side of Pittsburgh, and both have spoken very highly of one another.
“Athelte,” Queen told reporters when asked about his first impression of Wilson. “[He’s] got that mindset. You can kind of tell [by] the way he talks [that] he’s a really smart football player… That’s the type of guy you want in your room.”
#Steelers rookie LB Payton Wilson has caught the early attention of Patrick Queen. His first impressions?
“Athlete. Got that mindset. You can kind of tell the way he talks. He’s a really smart player. … That’s the type of guy you want in your room.” pic.twitter.com/zMwOPCJF6M
The Steelers are already showing great trust in the rookie from North Carolina State. During team drills on Thursday, the Steelers went into their dime package, and kept Wilson on the field as the lone dime backer.
I spoke with Wilson after Thursday’s practice, and he said it felt great to have that faith being put in him.
“Yeah, it’s great to have that type of trust and faith put in me in that kind of situation,” Wilson said.
He also gave a tip of the cap to this linebacking corps- one that Wilson says has the potential to be really great.
“This group as a whole, really, with PQ, Elandon [Roberts], Cole Holcomb, and myself- this can be a really special group.”
A great group of linebackers is something the Steelers haven’t had in quite sometime. Which is especially odd considering for over 30 years, that was the staple of the team. From Jack Lambert and Jack Ham in the 1970s, to Greg Lloyd and Levon Kirkland in the 1990s, to Joey Porter, James Farrior, and James Harrison in the 2000s- the Steelers were always expected to have one of the premier groups of linebackers in football. However, they have seen a great drop off over the last decade. Ever since Ryan Shazier’s career ending injury, the Steelers have taken multiple swings and misses at suitable replacements.
“They’ve tried Jon Bostic, they’ve tried Sean Spence, they’ve tried Devin Bush, and they’ve tried Joe Schobert,” Chris Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said to me on Black & Gold Breakdown. “They’ve tried everything. Nothing has stuck, and that’s been a point that offenses have needled at for years. And now, if this is the group that fixes it, that defensive front that can still be extremely dominant… and you combine that with the safety group they have… this could be a complete defense.”
It’s not just the linebackers that look great, either. The young cornerback room is showing up and looking good on the practice field. Cory Trice, Darius Rush, Beanie Bishop- all three guys that are competing for playing time, and all three have stood out this week.
Rush in particular had a great practice Thursday. The second-year corner told me that he is especially looking forward to this season and is willing to play wherever he is asked to in order to get on the field.
“Last year was a little chaotic for me,” Rush said. “I was with two different teams before I ended up here… I’m happy to be here, know I’m here, and go out and compete… I feel good about my versatility. I’ll play outside, I’ll play slot, I’ll play kickoff- whatever they need. When you want playing time, you’ve got to be willing to do everything, and I am.”
Now, we’re already seeing the same song-and-dance that is done every offseason with the Steelers begin again. Everyone is once again saying “Yup, this is the year the Steelers will bottom out” or “Yup, this is the year Mike Tomlin will only win seven games.”
Mind you, the Steelers haven’t won less than eight games since 2003, and they haven’t finished last in the AFC North/Central since 1988. This is a team that was a tire fire at quarterback last season and called multiple players off the street and out of retirement to fill holes on defense in the final month of the season due to various injuries.
That team finished with 10 wins.
Not to mention the fact that Pittsburgh has won seven of their last eight against the Baltimore Ravens, and the combined record of Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson against Pittsburgh is 5-7.
And it’s because of all that, along with the fact that the Steelers have severely upgraded at quarterback, offensive coordinator, offensive line, across their defense, and Mike Tomlin still having a pulse that it’s impossible to tell me this team will somehow be worse than a team that trotted out Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph with a bottom-five offensive line and made the playoffs.
Like it or not, this is the most complete team the Steelers have had in a very long time- maybe since the rookie year of Ben Roethlisberger in 2004. Will the wins be extravagant 35 point performances every week? Probably not. But they will be wins, and at minimum, the Steelers will be right where they always are in December- in the playoff picture.
We expect big things from Payton Wilson this season.
There’s a real possibility the Pittsburgh Steelers got one of the biggest steals of the entire 2024 NFL draft. The Steelers had two picks in the third round and after selecting wide receiver Roman Wilson with the first of those picks, they found themselves staring down the opportunity to select a guy many graded as a late-first or early second-round prospect in inside linebacker Payton Wilson.
Wilson fell in the draft due to some concerns about a knee injury. An injury that occurred while he was still in high school. Let that sink in a little. Teams were concerned about a six-year-old knee injury despite his amazing film from the last two seasons.
Thankfully the Steelers didn’t feel any trepidation in choosing the smart, athletic gamechanger and now they might just have their best inside linebacker since Ryan Shazier.
Pittsburgh signed Patrick Queen as a free agent from the Baltimore Ravens and he is sure to have a huge impact on the Steelers defense but a tandem of Queen and Wilson might be the most dynamic and athletic group in the league.
Prediction: We expect to see veteran Elandon Roberts get the nod as the starting inside linebacker next to Queen to start the season and the Steelers will bring Wilson along at a steady pace. But by midseason, look for Wilson to be getting the bulk of the reps with Queen and this will allow the Steelers to keep two inside linebackers on the field more down the stretch.
The Steelers last two drafts have been among the best in the NFL thanks to keying on the most athletic prospects.
Last year, with General Manager Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl in charge of the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL draft, we saw a huge shift in the Steelers draft philosophy. We saw a huge emphasis on overall athleticism and it really paid off.
2024 was a repeat performance as the Steelers front office landed the third-most athletic draft class in the NFL based On RAS. RAS stands for Relative Athletic Score and is an objective system set up by Kent Lee Platte to compare prospects based on hard data.
Steelers took a ton of top flight athletes last year and this year they did the same. The only non-elite tester they took, Zach Frazier, was generally considered at or near the top at his position, and still scored in the high 7s. pic.twitter.com/1tMynyzMzq
We project that offensive tackle Troy Fautanu and center Zach Frazier will both be in the Steelers starting lineup on opening weekend. We also expect wide receiver Roman Wilson and linebacker Payton Wilson will both be in heavy rotation from the beginning as well as they find their fit in the system.
We love the value and potential of LB Payton Wilson in the first round.
As someone who dedicates a tremendous amount of time studying NFL draft prospects, when I see a player I grade very high start to tumble, I have to wonder what I missed. In most cases, it is related to information the public isn’t always privy to, such as injuries.
This was the case as I watched North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson slide. Other linebackers were being drafted and I know they did not have the film or have the skills of Wilson. So why did it happen to allow the Pittsburgh Steelers to snag him at the end of the third round of the 2024 NFL draft?
According to the analysts on the television broadcast, it was because Wilson has been playing without an ACL since tearing it two years in a row. But all you have to do is put on the tape and understand that the lack of an ACL has done nothing to slow him down.
Wilson won’t need to start as a rookie with Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts as the starter but he is simply too good to keep off the field all year. We give this pick an A and can’t wait to see how the Steelers use his diverse set of skills and ridiculous athleticism.
The Steelers got a bargain at linebacker with Payton Wilson in the third round.
With each passing pick, we wondered which team would roll the dice on North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson. A whole lot of off-ball linebackers came off the board before Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers just waiting for their opportunity to snatch him up with their second pick in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Wilson is a ridiculously athletic linebacker who Was the Butkus and Bednarik Award winner and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He fills up the box score like no other defender in the draft.
Wilson ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at 233 pounds at the scouting combine and North Carolina State didn’t hesitate to use Wilson inside and outside. For Wilson, staying healthy will be the key and the only reason he fell to the end of the third round. Two torn ACLs for a guy with his level of athleticism raised some concerns but when you put on the film, you see no issues with any old injuries.
When do the RBs and LBs start getting drafted on Day 2 after no prospects from either position were selected in the first round?
The first round of the 2024 NFL draft saw six quarterbacks and nine offensive linemen selected, both records for any individual draft. The overload at those positions led to some other positions being overlooked on Day 1.
Namely, running back and linebacker.
There wasn’t a single running back selected in the first 32 picks, nor did any linebackers come off the board. That figures to change on Day 2, but how quickly?
It might take several picks before the first linebacker hears his name called. Whether it’s Edgerrin Cooper from Texas A&M, Payton Wilson of North Carolina State or Michigan’s Junior Colson, the first off-ball LB likely won’t be among the first handful of picks. The shift to a base nickel defense package removed one starting LB spot from most every team, and a recent supply of good draft classes at linebacker has also diminished demand in 2024.
Prediction for LBs
Cooper or Wilson gets the nod in the 40-45 overall range, and then the top grouping will all come off over the span of the next 20 or so picks. That group also includes North Carolina’s Cedric Gray.
There is a separate problem at running back. Several prospects at the position are generally lumped together in the rankings and big boards. Jonathon Brooks from Texas might be No. 1 for one team but sixth on another. The same is true for Trey Benson from Florida State and Jaylen Wright from Tennessee.
That sort of “dealer’s choice” at a well-stocked supply of prospects could mean teams opt to pull the trigger and land their guy. But because of the relative depth of the class, a team that might need another position just a little more might look at (perceived) Day 3 options like Isaac Guerendo from Louisville, Dylan Laube of New Hampshire or Marshall’s Rasheen Ali and not find as much of a dropoff as they would at other positions from Day 2 to Day 3.
Prediction for RBs
Brooks and Benson each come off the board in the 50s, and then there’s a gap into the later realms of the third round. And then we’ll see a relative deluge of RBs in the fourth and fifth rounds as teams work their way down “need” lists to a deep running back class.
