Injury issues helped linebacker Payton Wilson slide to the third round of the draft, but the Steelers rookie isn’t letting his knee or shoulder problems temper his aggressiveness.
Wilson racked up 402 tackles during his time at North Carolina State and he explained why he’s around the ball so often during an appearance on new teammate Cameron Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast.
“I like to take people’s heads off and I like to fly around with the best of them. . . . “If there’s 75 plays, I’m just the kind of person that wants to make 75 tackles, whatever it is,” Wilson said, via Steelers Depot. “That’s just how I’ve played. Grew up in a very blue-collared area, grew up wrestling. So, that mentality’s kind of been instilled in me my whole life. Like, I don’t know, when I’m out there and someone’s got the ball in their hands, I want to hit them so bad. I want to be the first person there every single time.”
Multiple torn ACLs and shoulder surgeries have created doubt about how long Wilson will be able to play in the NFL. His description of his playing style suggests he’ll be going a million miles an hour as long as he’s able to be on the field.