Steelers' Payton Wilson Describes Difficult Point Of Rookie Year In 2024: "This Isn't The Football I Love"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have some exciting young players on the roster that seem like they could be foundational pieces of the future of the franchise. One of those players is inside linebacker Payton Wilson, who the franchise was able to draft in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Wilson was initially thought to be a fringe Day 1 pick, but some medical concerns dropped his draft stock as it was revealed during the NFL Scouting Combine that he was missing an ACL in his right knee. Pittsburgh didn't care too much about that, as the organization submitted the card with Wilson's name on it with the 98th overall pick.

Rookie walls are always something that is talked about during a player's first season in the NFL. Many fans don't realize it, but rookies are going at 100 percent for well over a year by the time their season comes to an end. A player goes through their final college season, intense training for the NFL Combine, and the upcoming year, straight into a media circus that is the NFL Draft -- and then basically right to rookie minicamp. There is no stopping, so it is very easy for rookies to hit a mental or physical wall. Wilson was asked about this by his teammate Cam Heyward on the most recent episode of Not Just Football.

"As we all should be, I was really emotionally invested to each outcome of every game," Wilson said. "It was really taking a toll. Especially those three we lost in 10 days. I was like, 'What is happening? This isn't the football I love.' Just getting my head beat in every week. So it was just balancing a lot of that."

It sounded like Wilson's rookie wall was more mental than physical, and it happened right when Pittsburgh was forced to go through an absolute gauntlet of a schedule to end the year. Pittsburgh played three games over the span of 10 days, with one of those games coming against the Baltimore Ravens and the other two being played against the two teams that wound up meeting in Super Bowl LIX.

Pittsburgh lost its final four games of the regular season in 2024, and the team was then embarrassed by the Ravens in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. Throughout that stretch of games, the defense struggled to stop the run, which meant things were not going well for Wilson and the rest of the unit.

That time of year was horrific for Pittsburgh. The team lost its chance at winning the AFC North and hosting a playoff game, and the team instead had to travel to play its number one rival in the postseason. That time began to make Wilson question his love for football, which he has clearly regained by the way he has been playing in 2025.

Steelers' Payton Wilson Has Impressed In His Second Season

Wilson has played very well in his second year with the team, and he seems to be hitting his stride after a strong performance in a win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. The young linebacker could be considered one of the team's best players during that game, as he seemed to be everywhere while having a nose for the ball. Wilson recorded 14 total tackles in the game, including 10 solo takedowns. He also was able to pick off Daniel Jones, which set up the offense to go ahead and score a touchdown two plays later. He also batted a ball up in the air that wound up being picked off my rookie outside linebacker Jack Sawyer.

It is no overstatement to say that Wilson was completely dominant in Pittsburgh's win over Indianapolis, and hopefully that type of play continues from the young defender.

What do you think about Wilson's thoughts on his rookie season? Let us know in the comments below!

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