Vince Williams thinks Payton Wilson can become the kind of linebacker a defense builds around, and he said the Steelers should not wait long to act. On his Steelers Blitz podcast, Williams said Wilson could be “that dude” and argued Pittsburgh should extend the 2024 third-round pick after a season that has sharpened his case for a long-term role.
That view is getting traction because Wilson is producing at a level that makes him hard to ignore. The Steelers inside linebacker next to Patrick Queen has 55 tackles, a team-high total by a wide margin, and he has taken a clear step forward in coverage. This season, he has been targeted 35 times and allowed 22 completions for 198 yards, no scores and a 78.0 passer rating. Last season, he allowed completions on 41 of 45 targets and posted a 104.7 passer rating when targeted.
Wilson’s own confidence has matched the growth. Before the 2025 season, he called himself one of the best cover linebackers in the world, and the numbers have pushed that statement closer to fact than ambition. He has gone from being exposed in space to making himself useful there, which matters in a league where linebackers are often judged by whether they can stay on the field against both the run and the pass.
Williams sees the best version of Wilson in a specific structure, and that is where the debate gets more interesting. He said Wilson could play 100 percent of the snaps if he is paired with a downhill-contact absorber, the kind of “thumper” who takes on the heavy inside work and frees Wilson to do more in coverage and pursuit. That idea fits the rest of Williams’ argument: Wilson can be the mover, but he needs a partner who can handle the collisions that come with life in the middle of the defense.
The concern is that the same player who has improved so much in coverage is still leaving some stops on the field. Wilson has eight missed tackles, tied for second-most on the team, while Patrick Queen has seven. That does not erase the progress, but it does explain why Pittsburgh will not hand out a blank check without weighing whether the missed tackles are part of a young player’s growing pains or a flaw that must be managed.
The Steelers have had uneven production from inside linebacker for the past couple of years, and Williams appears to believe Wilson is the answer once the roster shifts again. Pittsburgh will have to decide next offseason whether to give Wilson a contract extension, and he still has one year left on his rookie deal after 2026. For now, Williams has drawn the line plainly: if the Steelers are looking for a long-term linebacker to pair with a run-stopper, Wilson is the one he would keep.
