HEIGHT: 6'4"

WEIGHT: 233

HAND: 9"

ARM: 30½"

WINGSPAN: 75¾"

40-YARD DASH: 4.43

3-CONE:

SHUTTLE:

VERTICAL: 34.5"

BROAD: 9'11"

POSITIVES

— Great frame for a linebacker in today's game and has room for growth to add some size.

— In zone coverage, has good eye discipline to locate threats coming into his area and reads the quarterback's eyes well to anticipate throws.

— Also has the movement skills and fluid hips to tighten throwing windows.

— Against the run, impressive speed allows him to beat offensive linemen to the spot when coming downhill and gives him excellent sideline-to-sideline ranges against outside runs.

— Can contribute as a pass-rusher with a nice cross-chop move, speed to close on quarterbacks and good bend for an off-ball linebacker.

NEGATIVES

— Long injury history dating back to high school.

— Lacks strength to hold his ground against run blocks from offensive linemen and bigger blocking tight ends. Also struggles to shed and gets stuck on blocks.

— Tackles high and gives up extra yards after contact.

— Run-pass transitions against play action are late, and he's susceptible to leaving his man open versus run fakes.

— An older prospect who will be 24 on draft day.

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 138 TOT, 17.5 TFL, 6 SK, 3 INT, 6 PD, 2 FR, 1 FF

NOTES

— Born April 21, 2000

— 4-star recruit in the 2018 class, per 247Sports

— Injuries: 2018 (knee, missed first season at NC State rehabbing from surgery in high school), 2021 (shoulder, missed all but 2 games, had surgery and missed spring practices), 2022 (upper body, missed 1 game; shoulder, missed 1 game)

— His brother, Bryse, is a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers

OVERALL

If Payton Wilson's draft evaluation was based solely on his 2023 film, he'd have a strong argument to be the top linebacker in this year's draft class. He's an impressive athlete who stands out in coverage and against the run.

Watson does just about everything right in zone coverage. He uses his hands to help get re-routes, has good eye discipline to locate threats, reads the quarterback's eyes well and has the movement skills to tighten throwing windows. On top of that, he had good ball production in 2023.

Against the run, the NC State product's biggest asset is his speed, which gives him great sideline-to-sideline range and can help him beat the offensive linemen to the spot when coming downhill. He does need to add some size and strength to be better at holding up at the point of attack and shedding blocks, but that's fixable and far from his biggest issue.

Wilson's long injury history may give a lot of teams interested in drafting him some pause. That has been the biggest factor that has held him back throughout his career, as a high school injury forced him to redshirt his first year in Raleigh. He'll also be a 24-year-old rookie, so there are a few reasons to worry that he might not have a high ceiling.

Overall, Wilson could be a good "Will" linebacker in even fronts, but the team that drafts him just has to be comfortable taking a risk.

GRADE: 6.9 (Potential Role Player/Contributor — 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 90

POSITION RANK: LB4

PRO COMPARISON: Zach Cunningham

Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

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