Payton Wilson Has A Hall of Fame Fan
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
It’s not every day that a third-round pick catches the eye of Hall of Famer in their first round of training camps. So if you’re a Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan, you have to be excited that Payton Wilson is generating buzz from an all-time great in Bill Cowher.
“His athletic ability speaks for itself. It’s off the charts,” Cowher gushed to Steelers.com earlier this week. “You see it in his play. Some people run fast, but they don’t play fast. Payton runs fast and he plays fast.”
Now, Wilson has a bit of an “in” with Cowher, beyond playing for the team he used to coach. Like Wilson, Cowher played his college days back at NC State, being the only member of the Wolfpack to go on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This isn’t the first time the two have met, and Cowher has watched Wilson for years, witnessing him leading the ACC in tackles last season.
Wilson’s play merited a much higher pick in the 2024 Draft than ended up happening, and the reason for that was medical concerns. Despite mustering a 4.43 40-yard dash pre-draft, there were rumors he didn’t even have an ACL in one of his knees. “I definitely have something in there or I would be able to run around and cut the way that I do,” said Wilson in May. Multiple shoulder injuries also fueled concerns about Wilson’s health.
The Steelers believed in him, at least enough to take him with the 98th overall pick, and you can be sure Cowher believes in him, too. “He’s a very resilient young man. He’s been through a lot. All of the injuries, and he’s come back, having to prove the doubters wrong.”
Wilson is part of a Steelers project to fix up their defense, which was hampered in part by injuries last year. They were a top-10 scoring defense, allowing 19.1 points per game, but cracks started to show. Pittsburgh allowed 115.1 rushing yards per game, which ranked just 19th in the NFL, giving them a need for a sure tackler.
They got one in free agency, signing Patrick Queen, but they got another one in Wilson. Suddenly, the addition of two fast, versatile linebackers should terrorize any offensive coordinator game-planning against Pittsburgh. Cowher believes Wilson has all the tools Mike Tomlin could ask for.
“He can play off the ball, he can play on the ball. He’s a smart kid,” Cowher says, running down the list of his strengths. “He can play a lot of different positions. If you’re smart, productive, tough, and can run, those are great qualities that I saw with the linebackers with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has all those same qualities.”
How is anyone going to argue with Cowher, who coached enough Pro Bowl linebackers in Pittsburgh for three lifetimes. Between 1992 and 2006, Cowher coached James Farrior, Jason Gildon, James Harrison, Levon Kirkland, Greg Lloyd, and Joey Porter, as well a Hall of Famer in Kevin Greene. If Cowher likes a linebacker and you don’t, sorry, but you’re wrong.
While Cowher has hung up his coaching hat for the glitz and glamour of TV life (and also, getting to see his family), it doesn’t preclude him from dispensing advice as he sees fit. You can tell that Cowher has respect for Wilson game, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have anything to offer him.
“That little bit of a chip on your shoulder, don’t lose it,” Cowher says when asked what he tries to impart on Wilson. “Take nothing for granted… seize every opportunity… Just go out there and be you.” What more could a rookie want a Hall of Famer to say about you?
Up Next