Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson tied the knot with his fiancee Lilah on March 7 at the Merrimon-Wynne House in Raleigh, N.C. The couple met in college at North Carolina State, so it was fitting that they returned to Raleigh to say their vows and officially became husband and wife.
It's been a life-changing month for several Steelers players. Newly acquired Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf revealed during his introductory press conference that he and is girlfriend Normani are now engaged . He proposed to Normani the day before signing his massive five-year, $150 million deal with the Steelers. T.J. Watt and Chris Boswell both have had children in recent weeks. Outside linebacker Julius Welschof announced his engagement over the weekend, as well.
Payton proposed to Lilah last July before training camp. He wrote a simple message on Instagram when revealing the news.
"Here's to forever," he wrote.
Wilson started just four games in 2024, but he played 492 snaps on defense. So he still had a pretty big role on defense, especially when the Steelers go in their sub-packages. Wilson finished the season with 78 tackles (49 solo), three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, two passes defended, one interception, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
Wilson's interception was a key play in the Steelers' Week 11 win over the Baltimore Ravens . It was one of the best interceptions of the season made by any player. Along with Steelers rookies Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick , Wilson was named to the The 33rd Team's 2024 NFL All-Rookie Team .
The Steelers drafted Wilson with the 98th overall pick out of NC State in the 2024 NFL Draft.
As a graduate student in 2023, Wilson recorded career highs in tackles, tackles for a loss, interceptions and defended passes. He finished the season with a staggering 138 combined tackles, 17.5 tackles for a loss and three interceptions. Wilson led the ACC in tackles per game and ranked fifth in the entire country. His 138 tackles were almost double the amount of the next closest guy on the team.
For his outstanding play, Wilson earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year, was named as a consensus All-American and won the Butkus (nation's top linebacker) and Bednarik (nation's top defensive player) Awards. He became just the fourth consensus All-American in school history.
During his time with the Wolfpack, Wilson played in 46 games and racked up 402 combined tackles, 48 tackles for a loss, 15 sacks and seven interceptions.
Wilson was inducted into the Wolfpack's Ring of Honor this past November.
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