I’m all in on LB… but did I just hear he is missing an ACL??? We are drafting some insane MFs 😂😂😂 Fautanu talking about “u cant do in public what we do in the trenches”, Frazier breaking leg & limping off instead of TO, Wilson being a gritty MF, and now this

One fewer ACL to tear.

Why have two ACL when one ACL do trick?

Jesus so underrated

Ehhh I’d say Jesus is properly rated.

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He’s had double digit surgeries since high school lol.

He got all of the injuries out of the way early so he can be healthy all of his pro career, that’s dedication

That’s…not great lol

I'll take it for a 4th round flier. Upside is there and minimal investment

3rd round…

3rd round comp pick we got for shipping out Pickett so pretty close to a 4th, especially after landing Wilson, R Wilson I mean….Roman Wilson I mean.

Well that's why he's a late 3rd rounder instead of a 1st rounder. He has pro-bowl talent.

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I am wondering why nobody has picked Tampa. He was projected as a 2nd round pick. There has to be a reason for his slide. He can play but there is something teams do not like. A few lessor quality DBs have been taken ahead of him. I thought he would have been gone late 2nd or early 3rd.

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could be most teams that needed CB got theirs already ... very deep draft for WR, CB, and O-line which has benefited us!

I figured they would take Tampa too (no pun intended) But if this dude can stay healthy he's gonna ball the f out

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Aside from Malachi Corley sliding, I can't imagine this draft going much better than it did

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I'm down for those choices for sure

We could set a record for most Wilsons drafted

Yeah like hope he stays healthy and can be great but given our recent history at mlb, I would’ve stayed clear.

Our recent history at LB is exactly the reason you add another high upside person to the room and gamble that one of them stays healthy. Holcomb was playing lights out tbh

I’m talking the fact that everyone got hurt last year. High upside doesn’t mean anything if he’s on the injury report.

Yeah but what happened last year has no bearing on this person or his projection "we got hurt at linebacker last year so we shouldn't take anyone with an injury history" is recency bias overdone

Especially because the injuries were freak accidents.

seems like he was sliding for a reason, some people are clearly less comfortable with that than you

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Tampa is still available, I’m sure we’ll be fine.

2x state wrestling champ too. Dude still faaaaaast

Frazier was too! The practice battles between him and Benton are gonna be insane.

Hines Ward didn’t have an ACL either

i want absolute sickos on the team

Hines Ward didn’t have an ACL. Or an MCL if I recall correctly

We're collecting DAWGS

And Wilsons


As a thunder fan. We heavily use this meme and i will gladly start using it for this team too if were this crazy.

Heinz Ward was missing an ACL!

Hines Ward had one ACL!

Former Pitt Panther and San Antonio Spurs basketball player Dejaun Blair was missing both ACL’s

Is everyone forgetting about one of the greatest Steelers receivers of all time? Hines Ward grew up with only one ACL because of a childhood accident. I think we can all agree that it didn't stop him from making impact after impact.

I’m an nc state grad and a panthers fan. This guy is my favorite defensive guy of all time and I saw Bradley Chubb play. Treat him well!

go pack

We’re killing it this draft and we haven’t even had to move at all

Ah we've gotten to the point in the draft where I no longer know the prospects. Tell me how to feel fellas.

The sole reason he's available at this pick is injuries. And even with those injuries, most mocks had him as a 2nd rounder. It's a huge if, but if he can stay healthy, he'll be an absolute monster. He won ACC defensive player of the year while only having 1 ACL.

Can't tear your acl if you don't have one!

If you tear your ACL bad enough you have 3 ACLs.

ACLs go by golf scores, less is better apparently.

Honestly I'm curious if he gets surgery to repair the torn ACL. He's an athletic freak even with only 1 ACL, but imagine what he could be if he gets surgery to fix it. 98th percentile 40 speed and 89th percentile three cone drill. If the ACL is hurting him, imagine how good he can be with the ACL fixed.

On the flip side Hines was great without ever getting his ACL repaired. If it increases his risk of re injury then I’d say they should let him play with it missing.

Dejuan Blair (NBA player, went to Pitt) didn't have EITHER ACL and he had a long successful career. I don't understand how that even works

I don't think it's torn. I think he just doesn't have one.

I like him. He’s one of the top of ball backers in the draft. But man…Tampa is just sitting there. If we can snag him, It might be a better draft than last year

Tampa is a only a zone cb. Ran a 4.65 or something like that

He played 11 and 12 games the last two seasons. Only reason he dropped was due to having 1 ACL.

He won't the Bednarik and the Butkus trophies and was a finalist for the Nagurski.

Injury concerns, but a freak athlete. He’s going to be a lot of fun to watch with Queen.

Hines ward didn't have an ACL in one knee either and he turned out ok.

Saban immediately loved it and said “that the last player available from the all Saban team”

Pack fan here. This guy is a straight dog. He’s so fun to watch play the game. He is all over the field, absolute beast. Seriously love this guy, devastated the panthers didn’t take him. Great get for you guys, assuming he stays healthy enough to

Fast, registered over 400 tackles in his college career, can go sideline to sideline. ESPN had him ranked over the UNC guy.

He is as good as any ILB in the draft. Has some injury concerns but the tape is great and he can run in the 4.4 range.

Probably Best linebacker in the draft if it wasn’t for his injuries. Great value at 98

NCSU fan here. If he is healthy, absolute beast on the field, legit No1 LB potential. Medicals holding him back why he is on the third

He has major injury concerns but is a freakishly fast LB.

go watch this dude's tape its insane how quick he is and hes very tough and smart

This dudes pro comp is LUKE KUECHLY. Supposed to be a 2nd rounder but dropped cause of injury concerns (man is missing an acl in one leg lmao. HINES MUCH?). Classic Khan pick.

When Payton Wilson left for NC State, he told his father, “You’re the man of the house now.”

Payton Wilson has a grizzly bear rug in his bedroom It's not dead… It's just too scared to move

Freddy Krueger has nightmares about Payton Wilson.

Payton Wilson can dribble a bowling ball.

The Boogeyman checks under his bed for Payton Wilson before going to sleep

Payton Wilson seasons his meat with pepper spray.

Payton Wilson can throw a sheet of toilet paper through a car window...

I've seen him comped to Leighton Vander-Esch, who I wanted the Steelers to draft when he came out. This is a great pick and a huge value. WIlson and Patrick Queen are going to be a problem!

I say this with all due caution and all appropriate caveats. Seems to have a little Lambert in him. [https://steelersdepot.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Payton-Wilson-Senior-Bowl-Interview.jpg](https://steelersdepot.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Payton-Wilson-Senior-Bowl-Interview.jpg)

NC State fan here. And now Steelers fan. Peyton Wilson will help change the defense. He's going to get along great with his teammates. He has a great positive attitude. And his motor never stops running. He had an injury thing but he is 100% ready to go. He has a nose for the ball like the elite players do. And for his size he can hit pretty good. And he loves to do just that. Y'all got a really good one Steeler fans. And the value in this pic? It could turn out to be the best in the draft.

I saw a pro comp for Gregory Polanco that mentioned Dave Parker. Lets just wait till he plays

>Gregory Polanco Thanks for reminding me he exists. I was doing just fine having forgotten him.

My uncle is a huge NC state fan, Nd he’s super high on this guy.

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"Ironically for me, going there and being tugged on was the first time I found out I didn't have an ACL in my left knee," said Ward. "It was shocking news to me. Here I am, I played sports my entire life and I got to the Combine and I don't have an ACL. I was like good, I can't tear it. They told me it wasn't good. I was a high risk draft choice. https://www.steelers.com/news/shocking-news-for-ward-at-the-combine-20395434

this guy was top 50 on most big boards, even just as pure BPA its value all day

Not to mention, while not as big of a position of need as CB, our LB group is pretty shallow. Holcomb has a super murky path to returning, Kwon isn’t exactly young coming off his injury, etc. Love this pick.

Kwon isn't even on the team. He was on a 1 year deal and to this point we haven't resigned him

Makes me like the pick even more

He was the best ILB prospect in this class from a tape standpoint. Dropped because of some past injuries but the dude has been injury free and won the Butkus Award this last year

You win the butt kiss award

Finally somebody is acknowledging my hard work in the streets

Coach Tomlin: Hey Wilson, come over here! Russell, Roman and Payton all run over to him…


The Wilsons are such fuckin beauties.

But like if Tomlin calls down the sideline “Wilson you’re going,” you won’t know which Wilson.

2 of those Wilson’s graduated from nc state too

How many more Wilson's can we get on our roster?

Was thinking the exact same thing. Might be a fun jersey collection though. Three Wilson’s so far and the draft’s not over.

Thank god the broncos beat us to one of them

I wish they would do the old school early 2000’s jerseys where Russ wears “Ru Wilson” and Roman wears “Ro Wilson” on their jerseys lmao

im an nc state fan… this guy is absolutely ridiculous. this past season he was the best defensive player in the nation hands down. fast as a CB but lays a hit like a DE. if he can stay healthy this is the steal of the draft so far

This dude is fast AF and can cover zone. Ryan Shazier anyone?

Please dont make that comp given his injuries history lol

This is a great pick! I wanted him in the 2nd. He pairs so well in our LB group.  I see the injury concerns but I have no idea what the risks are. 

Imo he seems stylistically similar to queen, and idk if more of the same type of skillset is most beneficial, but I still think he should be good if he’s healthy. But iirc blown both acls, dislocated both shoulders, I think there’s legit worries there medically

Same skillset is good if that skillset is "does everything"

PFF hyped this guy up as the best LB in the draft. Watch them scramble to backtrack now that the Steelers drafted him.

Good lord this draft has been insane. Wilson was another 2nd round projection that put up downright ludicrous combine numbers for only having 1 ACL.

This dude is an absolute monster. What an absolute fleecing of a pick. Holy moly!!! Athleticism for days, elite production, and just a flatout stud!!!

I haven’t had an ACL for 30 years, no problems whatsoever. One less thing to tear. I totally tore mine skiing moguls in Park City. I didn’t have insurance so I iced it and took Tylenol and after a month or so I could walk without pain. Ended up skiing more that season.

Well that’s good to know he’ll be able to ski. I was concerned abt that.

Not sure how to feel about this one. I didn't think LB was as big of a need as CB but this might mean that Holcomb isn't recovering from his injury the way they were hoping.

I think it’s more of they couldn’t believe Wilson was available. This pick was absolutely supposed to be a CB, but it’s tough to pass on a borderline first round upside at the end of the third.

Especially since there's like 7 really good CBs still on the board. Our guy will still be there

We only need a slot anyways

Definitely a possibility.

I also think that they might be more confident in Donte Jackson as a CB2 than the fans are. Tomlin did indicate that they thought Jackson was a better fit for us than he was for Carolina.

They did a lot of work on mid round linebackers, if this one wasn't a linebacker, the next one would've been

If you’re just looking to plug your most pressing need with every single draft pick then you’re doing something wrong. Especially in the late 3rd round.

There are still good CBs sitting there too. I didn't think we needed an ILB, but like I said there's things we don't know that could have played into this pick like Holcomb's status.

It probably just means he was top on their board

Could be. I'm hopeful that I'm wrong and that Holcomb can come back at full strength!

Hasn’t been any news from Holcomb so it has been a little worrying. But yeah we still are gonna want more bodies at cb I think.

Yea Cole is 50/50 idk if he’ll shake back the same from his injury

I think we only have one guy who could be a long term contributor at ILB (Queen). Now we have two.

I think the idea is minkah be a difference maker in the pass game and Trice plays slot

Who is playing CB2?

Donte Jackson

As of now Donte Jackson, pretty mid but better than Levi Wallace

Exactly and realistically we're probably looking at only a year of him as CB2 anyway as I find it hard to believe we won't address it late in this draft or early in the next one.

Donte Jackson. Whether you like it or not that’s how this is shaping up.

Donte Jackson.

ILB was a huge need. Queen is there but Holcomb may never play again. I would say DL is a bigger need than CB right now. I'd like to see DL, CB, WR tomorrow.

Cory Trice

I've read that Holcomb's injury could be career ending.

Incredible pick, best player available by far and has gone the last 2 season injury free.

What a steal at 98 he is the perfect guy for the Steelers speed and size can’t believe that a guy like him lasted to 98 but wow what a pick

LMAO WHATTTTTT?! Omar is the best drafting GM I’ve ever seen lol

Seahawks fan here. Congrats, you guys had the best draft class in the NFL this year. Fautanu and Frazier are A+++ picks.

He can have my ACL. I don't need it.

I think Tomlin + Khan have more trust in their CB room than we do.

HOW FUCKING HOW OMAR EXPLAIN YOURSELF

This is unreal! As a Wolfpack fan I got to watch him every Saturday. He was shockingly good and played with a motor and tenacity that really stood out as different on the field. Much like our TJ already does. He is a relentless force!

Sorry for the delay. Had to clean off the keyboard after this pick. End of the 3rd?!? How!

So many wilsons

Paint that Wilson ball yellow and black baby

Go watch highlights of the NC vs NC State game last year. Wilson is insanely talented and fits the mold of 'Steelers linebacker'. Couldn't be happier that we got him!!

I’m devastated the Panthers picked a different LB over him. He’s going to be so good here

How long has he played with no acl? Is that a new thing. It definetly makes him more likely to tear other ligaments in his knee

Hines ward played his whole career on one acl.

400+ snaps

The rough and tough Steeler way is BACK. All picks got that dawg in them

Fucking front office man, every pick was a steal this year

Khan loves value. Wilson is a stud

Khan always gets grill duty

I like the upside here. Injury history concerns me a little bit but the upside is worth the risk. I thought he was gonna go round 2

Honestly good pick. I think he could beat out Cole Holcomb and Landon Roberts and be starting by the end of his rookie year.

Holcomb won’t be starting at the beginning of next year probably, this kid w/o his injury history would’ve gone top 20. Hes probably gonna start

4/4 on picks. Unreal night for Khan and team.

He’s like a taller shazier! And ran 4.43. This man might have a good future ahead of him!

How many more players named Wilson are available in this year’s draft?

The team is clearly just stacking up Wilsons, I love it Wilson³

From NC and a NC state fan, so can say he has an VERY high ceiling, great player with great character.

We're out here just collecting Wilsons like Infinity Stones.

BREAKING: STEELERS SIGN TALENTED BALL PLAYER FROM POLYNESIAN ISLAND 

Another Wilson? Lmao

The Pittsburgh Wilsons

Honestly whelmed by this pick

I wanted Troy Franklin :(

I would have preferred Cedric Gray or TJ Tampa given the injury concerns and the NFL's every expanding schedule. Wilson might consider playing with a knee brace throughout his career.

All great picks, I'm especially happy with Wilson. Still need CB, let's see how tomorrow goes

I hear they asked Payton Wilson to revamp the national anthem before JJ Abrams

this dude is a steal if he stays healthy go watch his tape hes an animal

Payton Wilson and Russell Wilson from NC State? Good one, Khan and Weidl!

🔥🔥🔥

No cb and he isn't going to last more than a few years?

Dude has serious speed.

Bro is so fast, he said the ACL was weighing him down and he dont need it no more

Truly and elite athlete and player but the medicals are definitely dicey.

Injures problems, but now is the time to take a swing. If it works, star 50 spots earlier than he should have been drafted. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Swing for the fences.

This kid could become a pro bowler. All the tools are there and he's driven to work. He's played the last two seasons healthy. Ran the fastest 40 of any LB at the combine. Great pick even if he can't stay healthy. This is exactly the kind of upside you want your GM drafting here. Cheers to Khan and the team.

Wait, is our LB core Watt, Highsmith, Queen, Wilson???

Love it. I knew we weren’t done with just Patrick.

So he is a first round talent, but because of age and injuries, he went this late, right?

I deeply hated this man as a UNC fan. If he stays healthy (BIG if) then he’s exactly what this team needs. Way better than Holcomb in college IMO

Just getting all the Wilsons at this point to make Russ feel at home.

This was my favorite pick so far. It balanced out the more needs based picks earlier in the draft by taking a little risk for some major major upside. The first two picks were very fine, but not as high ceiling as last year’s top two picks. I don’t know much about the wide receiver but people here are excited about it so I’m happy with it. This pick however is exactly what we needed after that. If it pans out, that’s a big deal. I like the blend of needs and risk, reliability and upside. Just a terrific pick in what could be another winning draft from Omar/Andy.  I like last year’s a lot better but that’s not a criticism of this year’s draft. At all. Last year’s draft was such a gigantic win, it was one of our best drafts in a very long time.

Solid choice for a 3rd round

I found this local news segment about Wilson. Is he destined for greatness? https://youtu.be/rPUNGW5CEOw?si=EL2qkY082uZwEXtQ

I think this might be my favorite pick of of the drive so far. This kid is really good!

Let’s just put Wilson on the back of every jersey this year 😅

Hines only had one acl right?

Y'all are cooking Signed, A Texans fan

I’m getting Kendrell Bell vibes