PLUSES
— Depending on where he’s aligned pre-snap, can cover everywhere from the flat to hook/curl. An instinctive natural in coverage.
— Can rush the quarterback off-ball and on the line of scrimmage. Has the speed to chase down mobile quarterbacks all over the field, and can even get a little bendy around the edge.
— Gap-shooting expert who will quickly cross the faces of blockers, and moves to the ballcarrier in a hurry.
— Reacts quickly and intelligently to fakes and misdirection to the line of scrimmage; you can tell that he has a quick-twitch brain.
— Reads the quarterback well enough to break off of his first responsibility and deal with whatever he wasn’t expecting.
MINUSES
— Tends to live on a straight line in pursuit; occasionally, he’ll get waylaid by bigger guys whomping him from the side.
— Can cover tight ends up the seam, but he’s better near the line of scrimmage. More a true linebacker than a big safety.
— Hell-bent style of play will occasionally have him whiffing mightily in the open field.
— Decent recovery speed for his position, but he really needs to be on his target from the snap.
— Gets his tackles in the backfield more from quickness and gap understanding than pure power; he’s not your ideal guy for “Jacked Up!” highlights.
If you like Frankie Luvu as a hyper-versatile linebacker (and if you don’t, what the heck is wrong with you?), Wilson profiles very much the same way as a true three-down ‘backer in any scheme. There isn’t much he can’t do, and as much as anybody in this class, he personifies the modern linebacker who can take half the field over, and is a credible problem for opposing offenses in multiple ways.
Payton Wilson, LB, North Carolina State
PLUSES
— Depending on where he's aligned pre-snap, can cover everywhere from the flat to hook/curl. An instinctive natural in coverage.
— Can rush the quarterback off-ball and on the line of scrimmage. Has the speed to chase down… pic.twitter.com/PgfS4EymtS
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) April 8, 2024
