Payton Wilson is a career quality starter β a linebacker whose body of work places Wilson in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Wilson's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Payton Wilson
Height6'4"
Weight242 lb
BornApr 21, 2000
Age26
CollegeN.C. StateSee College Stats
ConferenceAtlantic Coast
Rookie yr2024
Draft2024 Β· Rd 3, Pick 98 Β· PIT
A linebacker with a top 30% among starters β the kind of consistent contributor every roster needs. Solid availability (exceptional availability β almost never missed time) added to their value.
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
3 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Defense | Snap Counts | Advanced Defense & Coverage (2018+) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% | Tgt | Cmp | Cmp% | RateAll | ADOT | Prss | Hrry | QBKD | Bltz | MissTkl | Miss% | |||||
| 2024 | β | PIT | 16 | β | 67 | 41 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | β | 0.0% | 492 | 44.9% | 301 | 66.2% | 39 | 31 | 0.8 | 79.0 | 2.7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 7 | 0.1 |
| 2025 | β | PIT | 17 | β | 125 | 74 | 51 | 6 | 4 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0% | 732 | 61.9% | 331 | 74.2% | 45 | 41 | 0.9 | 104.7 | 4.4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 10 | 0.1 |
| Career | β | 33 | β | 192 | 115 | 77 | 9 | 6 | 2.0 | 17.0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | β | 0.0% | 1,224 | 53.4% | 632 | 70.2% | 84 | 72 | β | β | β | 7 | 2 | 3 | 72 | 17 | β | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 24 | PIT | 16 | 0* | 67 | 41 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8.3 |
| 2025 | 25 | PIT | 17 | 11* | 125 | 74 | 51 | 6 | 4 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 |
| Career | 33 | 11* | 192 | 115 | 77 | 9 | 6 | β | β | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 18.4 |
* GS not available from free sources β SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Snap Counts
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 24 | PIT | 17 | 0* | β | 0.0% | 492 | 44.9% | 301 | 66.2% |
| 2025 | 25 | PIT | 17 | 11* | β | 0.0% | 732 | 61.9% | 331 | 74.2% |
| Career | 34 | 11* | β | β | 1,224 | β | 632 | β |
* GS not available from free sources β SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Advanced Defense & Coverage (2018+)
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Cmp | Cmp% | RateAll | ADOT | Prss | Hrry | QBKD | Bltz | MissTkl | Miss% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 24 | PIT | 17 | 0* | 39 | 31 | 0.8 | 79.0 | 2.7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 7 | 0.1 |
| 2025 | 25 | PIT | 17 | 11* | 45 | 41 | 0.9 | 104.7 | 4.4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 10 | 0.1 |
| Career | 34 | 11* | 84 | 72 | β | β | β | 7 | 2 | 3 | 72 | 17 | β |
* GS not available from free sources β SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 55 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a remarkably steady profile that scores 55 of 100, era-normalized against tackles/g peers across 2 scored seasons, with a short career trimming the score.
70
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
70
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ0.79
Longevity
career length
Blend 70 Γ longevity 0.79 = KV-H 55Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 70
On-field 50.5
Availability 19.5
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative tackles/g)
2024bestavg 70elite 702025
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position1
Depth
of 100
Reached 1% of the all-time Sacks leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
1% of the all-time Sacks leader1
0 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader0
A 0β100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data β career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence β so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite β₯ 85 Β· Strong β₯ 65 Β· Solid β₯ 45 Β· Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 88%.
Per-Snap Impact
Linebackers Β· proprietary Β· 2012+34
Rotational
SIS
Disruption/1001.961Snap share53.4%Def snaps1,224Emerging
Production per snap β the box score normalized by opportunity. SIS is z-scored within linebackers, shrinkage-regularized so small samples don't spike, over the NFL snap-count era (2012+).
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average linebackers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Combine Β· 2024
Percentiles compare each raw measurement against position peers, the full combine pool, and the same draft class where enough samples exist.
4.43s
40-Yard
Elite Β· 98th pct
Pos 98thAll 89thClass Pos 98thClass All 83th
34.5"
Vertical
Above avg Β· 54th pct
Pos 54thAll 59thClass Pos 42thClass All 48th
119"
Broad Jump
Above avg Β· 55th pct
Pos 55thAll 60thClass Pos 31thClass All 47th
Postseason Career
2 playoff gamesDefense
Tkl10Solo5Ast5TFL1Dis1.0PD1
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (N.C. State), but no parsed college box-score table is present in this profile artifact. The section stays here so every profile has a consistent college-stats landing point without fabricating unavailable rows.
Reference Graph
Career teammates and draft class, derived from year-by-year rosters β every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Cameron HeywardDE2yChris BoswellK2yT.J. WattOLB2yIsaac SeumaloG2yMiles KillebrewSAF2yPatrick QueenLB2yJames PierreCB2yScott MillerWR2yAlex HighsmithLB2yPat FreiermuthTE2yDeShon ElliottSAF2yBen SkowronekWR2yChristian KuntzLS2yConnor HeywardFB2yJaylen WarrenRB2yCalvin AndersonOT2yIsaiahh LoudermilkDE2yCorliss WaitmanP2yKeeanu BentonDT2yDarnell WashingtonTE2yCalvin Austin IIIWR2yJoey Porter Jr.CB2yRyan McCollumC2yBroderick JonesOT2y
2024 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #98
#90Elijah JonesDB#91Ty'Ron HopperLB#92Jalen McMillanWR#93Adisa IsaacLB#94Jalyx HuntLB#95DeWayne CarterDT#96Jarrian JonesCB#97McKinnley JacksonDT#99Kamren KinchensSAF#100Luke McCaffreyWR#101Ja'Tavion SandersTE#102Troy FranklinWR#103Layden RobinsonG#104Dadrion Taylor-DemersonSAF#105Justin EboigbeDT#106Cedric GrayLB
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterPayton inherited the Pittsburgh Steelers LB room from Patrick Queen (2024β2025), and holds it as the most recent the corpus records.
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2025final season
Last recorded season with PIT
- 2024draft
Drafted by PIT β Round 3, Pick 98
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'4" / 242 lb
Frame
233 lb at 4.43s
Size-speed
34.5" vert / 119" broad
Explosion
Knox
StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works β
Historical Knox Β· KV-H
Era-normalized career quality β z-scored against 2-season peers. See all β
55
peak 70
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B2024
B+2025
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 2 seasons.
100%
Durability IQ
Composite score across availability, IR frequency, and injury severity. See all β
100
IronEra Translator
Tackles translated to the 2025NFL β each season's standing among its own-era peers, projected onto 2025's scoring environment. Modern-era (1999+) coverage.
| Season | Actual Tackles | Tackles/G | β 2025 Tackles | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 67 | 4.2 | 71+4 | 4.2 |
| 2025 | 125 | 7.4 | 125 | 7.4 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:snap_counts, nflverse:combine, nflverse:draft_picks Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Draft OutcomeValue β
Pick #98 (Rd 3) Β· PIT Β· 2024 Β· +16.3 vs expected KV-H
55actual
38.7 expected Β· Ξ+16.3
Fan Rating
Rate Payton Wilson β All-Time
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