JetNation Prospect Profile: NC State LB Payton Wilson

[JetNation]

While the Jets are seemingly set at linebacker with CJ Mosley and Quincy Williams, the team could look to take a potential future replacement from Mosley by snagging a three down ‘backer along the lines of NC State’s Payton Wilson.  Here’s a look at what he brings.

Height: 6041

Weight: 234

Hand Size: 9

Arm Size: 30 1/8

Wingspan: 76 1/8

Hometown: Hillsborough, NC

High School: Orange HS

Year: Senior

DOB: April 21, 2000

Recruit: 4-Star recruit per 247 sports.

Film Study

 

Games Watched: Boston College (2023), Wake Forest (2023), Marshall (2023), Texas Tech (2022), North Carolina (2022).

 

• Tackling: Wilson is a sure tackler at the linebacker spot who has been known to be a bit too physical at times, drawing some unnecessary roughness calls over the past few seasons.  Teams will love the effort, but he has to learn to keep it within the rules.

One of @DTereman's players to watch during the draft prospect portion of @JetNation live, NC State LBer Payton Wilson. Super talented player who has battled through some injuries but has high-level starter potential. Has also been known to "cross the line" from time to time. pic.twitter.com/rE6fnY9RQP

— Glenn Naughton (@JNRadio_Glenn) September 30, 2022

• Play Recognition: Top notch.  JetNation spoke to Wilson in Mobile, AL during Senior Bowl week and he talked about learning great habits from former NFL great Luke Kuechly who has become somewhat of a mentor to Wilson
• Run Defense: Not afraid to come downhill in the box to stuff the run while showing the ability to get anywhere on the field faster than most linebackers in this class.
• Pass Coverage: It’s Wilson’s ability to cover at his size that teams are bound to love.  Has the ability to be an every down sideline to sideline ‘backer.  Effort is off the charts.

Obviously an assist here for @PackFootball LB Payton Wilson, but he must cover 80+ yards from snap to tackle. pic.twitter.com/FMUqtzGhu6

— Glenn Naughton (@JetsPicks) October 13, 2023

• Lateral Mobility/Athleticism: One of the more athletic ‘backers in this class, how he tests in Indy will go a long way in determining where he goes on draft day.  Expect him to finish near the top in multiple categories.
• Bend/Flex: Plenty of bend and flexibility to be a factor off the edge as evidenced by his 17 tackles for loss in 2023.
• Strength: Good enough but some room for improvement here.  Will want to get stronger to take on NFL linemen.
• Versatility: Wilson can play all over the formation and hold his own in just about any role you could hand to a linebacker.
• Football IQ: A product of watching over ten hours of film on a regular basis, Wilson is often seen reacting to a play before it gets off the ground.

@PackFootball LB Payton Wilson spoke with myself and @DTereman at the @seniorbowl and talked about being a film junkie.

It shows up on game day when Wilson is quick to diagnose what offenses are doing and make plays around the LOS. pic.twitter.com/MlhsYEoN7D

— Glenn Naughton (@JetsPicks) February 12, 2024

• Leadership:  Leads by example.  Relentless effort on every single play comes from having missed time in the past leading to an appreciation for every snap possibly being your last.  “You never know” when you’ll step on the field for the final time was the way Wilson phrased it in Mobile.

Got to ask @PackFootball LB Payton Wilson about his mental makeup, something he takes from Luke Keuchly’s game specifically. Then @JNRadio_Glenn asks about former teammate Drake Thomas.@JetNation @seniorbowl pic.twitter.com/i6IFm1M54K

— Dylan Tereman (@DTereman) February 2, 2024

• Durability: Payton Wilson suffered some significant injuries in the earlier part of his college career before stringing together two seasons with the Wolf Pack in which he played 23 games and missed only 1.

 

Summary: Going back to school to show scouts he was able to stay healthy will give Payton Wilson’s draft stock a boost over what it would have been last year.  Expect him to have a good showing in Indy and to be a player who can get on the field early and often while being a difference maker in coverage and against the run.

Projection: Round 3-4 draft choice.

Want to take a look at some more prospect profiles?  Take a look at yesterday’s breakdown of Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga right here.

The post JetNation Prospect Profile: NC State LB Payton Wilson appeared first on JetNation.com - New York Jets Blog & Forum.

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[TuscanyTile2]

I'd prefer we drafted Zach Manning instead.

[varjet]

This guy would be a great 4th round investment to be able to move on from Mosley.  

[PepPep]

1 hour ago, varjet said:

This guy would be a great 4th round investment to be able to move on from Mosley.  

He will be long gone by then - IMO. 

The Jets should do their due diligence evaluating these guys but they can't think about these types of players. As of right now, before FA, its O-line, and WR. Rd. 1, Rd. 3, Rd. 4 - Draft the best available OT, the best available WR, the best available G/OT. 

The way I see it, while you can't base the draft solely on positional value, the best way for the Jets to fix their o-line woes is to sign short term vets in FA and invest heavily in o-line in the draft. And if they don't come away with an impact WR in this loaded WR class JD will have whiffed big time. 

So P Wilson is great, Trotter is great, Eichenberg is great, Gray is great. We shouldn't be looking to draft any of them because we should be looking to take OTs, G's and WRs. 

BTW- Jamien Sherwood has been sitting behind CJ and developing nicely. He has played well every opportunity he got last year. There is no reason he should be dismissed as a potential replacement for Mosley. If you are going to cut CJ, sign a vet for depth and let Sherwood step in.   

[#27TheDominator]

14 minutes ago, PepPep said:

He will be long gone by then - IMO. 

The Jets should do their due diligence evaluating these guys but they can't think about these types of players. As of right now, before FA, its O-line, and WR. Rd. 1, Rd. 3, Rd. 4 - Draft the best available OT, the best available WR, the best available G/OT. 

The way I see it, while you can't base the draft solely on positional value, the best way for the Jets to fix their o-line woes is to sign short term vets in FA and invest heavily in o-line in the draft. And if they don't come away with an impact WR in this loaded WR class JD will have whiffed big time. 

So P Wilson is great, Trotter is great, Eichenberg is great, Gray is great. We shouldn't be looking to draft any of them because we should be looking to take OTs, G's and WRs. 

BTW- Jamien Sherwood has been sitting behind CJ and developing nicely. He has played well every opportunity he got last year. There is no reason he should be dismissed as a potential replacement for Mosley. If you are going to cut CJ, sign a vet for depth and let Sherwood step in.   

If they are great we should probably take them instead of some sh*tty Max Mitchell, Carter Warren level OL.  Right now we need help at T.  Inside we have AVT, Tomlinson, Tippman and Schweitzer under contract with McGovern likely to be able to be had cheap.  Last year we cut that dude from Baltimore that started games in Arizona. What you are saying about Sherwood can be said about Warren. 

Of course, deciding which of those picks (OL, WR, LB) will be great and which of our young players is ready to step up will require these guys to properly evaluate the talent and that is our big fear.

[Jack Straw]

No need to draft a LB when we have Mosley chasing TEs into the endzone at $20MM a year because something something leadership.

[PepPep]

1 hour ago, #27TheDominator said:

If they are great we should probably take them instead of some sh*tty Max Mitchell, Carter Warren level OL.  Right now we need help at T.  Inside we have AVT, Tomlinson, Tippman and Schweitzer under contract with McGovern likely to be able to be had cheap.  Last year we cut that dude from Baltimore that started games in Arizona. What you are saying about Sherwood can be said about Warren. 

Of course, deciding which of those picks (OL, WR, LB) will be great and which of our young players is ready to step up will require these guys to properly evaluate the talent and that is our big fear.

No. I disagree. You are generalizing IMO. 

When I said they are 'great' I just meant they are nice prospects, nothing more. There are also 'great' O-line and WR prospects we can draft instead at those spots. We don't have to assume they will be 'sh**ty Max Mitchell, Carter Warren level OL'. You are projecting. An impact slot WR can be had in Rd. 3 or 4, for example. An impact G. 

What I am saying about Sherwood CANNOT be said about Warren. Sherwood was drafted in '21 and has been developing behind Mosley since then. He has looked very good given playing time. Carter Warren was drafted in '23 and is still in his infancy of development. He has looked shaky and is clearly not ready to step in and start. I'm not an expert and I'm not a Jet coach, this is just my opinion from watching games religiously. 

Tomlinson needs (and probably will) be cut. Schweitzer is a backup and will probably never be starter quality player. He's 30. If he was starter quality he would have shown it buy now. And McGovern is a FA just like many, many FAs out there that the Jets can target. Right now, the Jets only have AVT and Tippman as the future building blocks of the o-line. 

Yes, the Jets will sign FA vets to plug holes and be short term starters. They will bring in depth pieces to complete the o-line. But they need to invest heavily in the o-line via the DRAFT. And they don’t have a lot of draft capital to do so. If they did, I would say, sure, take a LB if a good one is there in Rd. 3 or 4. But they really need to approach this draft with the mentality that the offense (specifically the o-line) is top priority.  

[#27TheDominator]

1 hour ago, PepPep said:

No. I disagree. You are generalizing IMO. 

When I said they are 'great' I just meant they are nice prospects, nothing more. There are also 'great' O-line and WR prospects we can draft instead at those spots. We don't have to assume they will be 'sh**ty Max Mitchell, Carter Warren level OL'. You are projecting. An impact slot WR can be had in Rd. 3 or 4, for example. An impact G. 

What I am saying about Sherwood CANNOT be said about Warren. Sherwood was drafted in '21 and has been developing behind Mosley since then. He has looked very good given playing time. Carter Warren was drafted in '23 and is still in his infancy of development. He has looked shaky and is clearly not ready to step in and start. I'm not an expert and I'm not a Jet coach, this is just my opinion from watching games religiously. 

Tomlinson needs (and probably will) be cut. Schweitzer is a backup and will probably never be starter quality player. He's 30. If he was starter quality he would have shown it buy now. And McGovern is a FA just like many, many FAs out there that the Jets can target. Right now, the Jets only have AVT and Tippman as the future building blocks of the o-line. 

Yes, the Jets will sign FA vets to plug holes and be short term starters. They will bring in depth pieces to complete the o-line. But they need to invest heavily in the o-line via the DRAFT. And they don’t have a lot of draft capital to do so. If they did, I would say, sure, take a LB if a good one is there in Rd. 3 or 4. But they really need to approach this draft with the mentality that the offense (specifically the o-line) is top priority.  

Sure.  I don't necessarily disagree with anything you said at all.  I am NOT a needs based drafter.  I want FAs to fill holes and draft picks to excel.  If I have a choice between a borderline G prospect and really think a guy like Wilson will excel, I will take Wilson (bonus for the Jets name based draft philosophy - all the Wilsons!).  Later guys are going to be developmental and then, as you point out, take some time to be able to contribute.  A 4th round G is probably not going to be ready to step in for Tomlinson anyway.

[PepPep]

Just now, #27TheDominator said:

Sure.  I don't necessarily disagree with anything you said at all.  I am NOT a needs based drafter.  I want FAs to fill holes and draft picks to excel.  If I have a choice between a borderline G prospect and really think a guy like Wilson will excel, I will take Wilson (bonus for the Jets name based draft philosophy - all the Wilsons!).  Later guys are going to be developmental and then, as you point out, take some time to be able to contribute.  A 4th round G is probably not going to be ready to step in for Tomlinson anyway.

Agreed. And going back to what I said initially. Wilson will not be there in Rd. 4. JMHO. 

[varjet]

13 minutes ago, PepPep said:

Agreed. And going back to what I said initially. Wilson will not be there in Rd. 4. JMHO. 

I said he would be the pick in the 4th round, if he is there.  He could be as teams pick offensive players first.  

Fred Warner was a 3rd round pick.  Guys like Payton Wilson used to go higher.  If he is in Fred Warner territory, he is a solid third round pick.  

To repeat what was said above, good teams draft the best players and fill need through FA, within reason.  You don't pick a 5th DE in the 1st round when you have no OL.  

My guess is that there is more of an impact WR or OG available in round 3.

Although we like to say we can pick a S in rounds 4 and below, the really good safeties tend to go in Round 2.  

[bonkertons]

I'm a huge fan of Wilson, as well as Colson from Michigan.  I think you'd have to take one in the 3rd, but if the plan is to cut Mosley and draft a kid that can get significant playing time year one, it would be one of these guys IMO, and you'd probably have to pull the trigger in the 3rd.

 

Honestly we should be able to afford to do that, assuming we sign a #2 WR like Ridley and a short-term starting LT like Bakhtiari or Smith or Brown.  Go get Fuaga at 10 for your RT spot(or Olu and swap Brown/Smith to RT), take your LB in the 3rd, and then in the 4th go get your #4 or 5 WR and a OG you can develop.  There should be quality prospects at both positions.  If there isn't a guard worth taking, then you can look at DT or even a young QB.  We don't necessarily HAVE to draft a development guard this year.  

 

All you really should have left to do, besides re-signing the guys you want to keep, is bring in a veteran backup QB and a run-stuffing DT.  If you let Huff go you should be able to do all of this.  Plus with all the money you save from cutting Mosley.  I'd try to avoid the restructures, tbh.

[varjet]

Let's look at it another way, if you can cut Mosley, promote Sherwood and draft a starting LB in the 3rd round who will make $1mm year, while finding a FA G who will make $5mm/year, why wouldn't you do that?

It will also be highly unlikely, based on past experience, to find a WR in the 3rd round or below who will make a real impact.  Sign one of those two.

T's are hard to find in FA-draft one in the 1st.  Or a WR who can start. 

[AFJF]