Payton Wilson has all the tools. He’s never been short on talent. He just needed to flip the switch from dimly lit to all the way on. Since the pads have come on, Wilson’s light is shining bright.
Wilson’s a remarkable athlete. His sideline-to-sideline range allows him to rack up more tackles by the dozen. Or, when needed, track down wide receivers far downfield. His effort is aces. He plays hard and works at his craft. Travis Homer may have him beat as the daily “first person at practice,” but Wilson is always putting in the extra work.
His issue has been coming downhill and throwing his weight around. Wilson is tall, has short arms, and previously, hadn’t shown an aggressive enough mentality. In his first and second years, he didn’t trust what he saw.
Wilson no longer looks like that guy. During Tuesday and Thursday’s padded practice, he’s been a menace against the run. Downhill, physical, getting off blocks, and making stops. Fullback Riley Nowakowski admitted Wilson put him in the ground during one play. On another, Wilson filled the gap, made the stop, and walked away with the play with a little swag in his step. He also mixed it up with WR Ben Skowronek, needling him on a hot day where practice got chippy.
It’s small, but they’re moments that didn’t show up a year ago.
Tuesday, Wilson beat the block of C Zach Frazier to tag Pat Freiermuth up on a tight end screen. In the box or in space, Wilson is attacking and defeating blocks. Meaner isn’t bad on the field. He even admitted he’s no longer thinking about failing. It’s showing up on the field.
Pittsburgh needs Wilson to carry it over. If so, he can become a long-term fixture at inside linebacker. Run defense and the ability to play in Pittsburgh’s base defense has been his biggest drawback, and he’s either not held or lost the role both years.
Football is a fundamental game. Make blocks, defeat blocks, and tackle. Wilson is showing he can provide the latter two. If it continues, he’ll have a career year and pair that with a big-time contract extension next summer.