Steelers Second-Year Defender Hit With ‘Most Improved’ Label

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of new faces on their roster heading into the 2025 season. However, according to one team source, the guy who could end up being the team’s most improved player in the upcoming campaign is second-year linebacker Payton Wilson.

Selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Wilson played in all 17 games for the Steelers last year, racking up 78 tackles, one interception, two pass deflections, one fumble forced, and two fumbles recovered, one of which he returned for a touchdown. All in all, it was a pretty solid rookie season for the NC State Wolfpack product.

Heading into the 2025 season, the expectation is that Wilson will take on a bigger role for Pittsburgh, as he’s penciled in as one of the team’s starting inside linebackers alongside Patrick Queen. All throughout training camp, Wilson has been drawing rave reviews, with one Steelers insider claiming that a source told him he believes the up-and-coming linebacker has All-Pro potential.

“Steelers source: ‘Buy stock in Payton Wilson NOW. He’s going to be the most improved player on the team. He’s got All-Pro potential. He’s looked that good,'” Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan shared in a post on X.

Wilson is a tackling machine who has a nose for the football. While he wasn’t playing every snap last season, he showed that he has a tendency to make big plays, which is a trait defensive coaches across the league are looking for. Beyond that, the Steelers are loaded with talent elsewhere on defense, which only makes Wilson’s job easier.

Making the sort of leap Wilson is getting predicted to make here isn’t easy, but throughout training camp, it’s clear he’s much more comfortable heading into the 2025 campaign. If he can put all the pieces of the puzzle together, the Steelers could have another defensive anchor on their hands who’s worth building around for the long-term future.

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