WATCH: Former NC State All-American LB Payton Wilson’s NFL Rookie Highlight Reel

Former NC State Unanimous All-American Linebacker Payton Wilson was 1 of the best rookies in the NFL this year, earning a spot on every All-Rookie Team I’ve come across. Check out his NFL Rookie Highlight Reel.

Wilson played in all 17 games in the Regular Season, starting in 4. He finished with 78 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 fumble returned for a touchdown.

The 2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year wasn’t just 1 of the Top-2 Rookie Linebackers…he was quite literally one of the best Linebackers overall in the NFL this season.

His PFF grade of 75.3 was the 12th highest grade by a Linebacker, and his Coverage grade of 76.9 ranked 5th.

Wilson ranked 4th on the Steelers in tackles, but he led the team in Tackle Rate, making a tackle on 15.82% of the snaps he was on the field. He made a tackle ever 6.32 plays. As a Steelers fan, I ran the numbers for the rest of their defense, and could bore you with them, but just know, it wasn’t even close. Safety DeShon Elliott’s Tackle Rate was 13.11%, nearly 3 percentage points behind Wilson.

Wilson simply is one of the best players to ever play football for NC State. He is 1 of only 3 players in school history to be named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He is the only player in NC State history to win the Butkus Award, which is handed out annually to the best Linebacker in College Football. He won the Bednarik Award, which is awarded annually to the best Defensive player in college football. Wilson earned 1st Team All-ACC honors 2 times, becoming 1 of 37 players in school history to earn 1st Team honors multiple times. He is only the 4th player in school history to be named a Unanimous All-American. Wilson is 1 of 6 Wolfpack defenders to finish his career with 400+ tackles.