In the Pittsburgh Steelers' history of elite defenses, they have had stellar linebackers that added an extra dimension to the Rubik's cube that opposing offenses had to solve. A standout linebacker core in the 2000s, headlined by James Harrison and James Farrior, helped lead the Steelers to two Super Bowl wins and an appearance in a third. Bill Cowher knows all about defensive studs, so when the organization drafted a potential steal to cap off the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, he was ecstatic.
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Bill Cowher celebrates winning Super Bowl XL with Hines Ward.
After Payton Wilson got drafted, Cowher had nothing but endless praise for the rookie linebacker. He said great things about Wilson in just about any way he could, but there was one thing he said that stuck out: he's just like the guys that Cowher coached.
"He has a lot of physical attributes from a speed standpoint, from a coverage standpoint. He can play off the ball, he can play on the ball. He's a smart kid. He can play a lot of different positions. If you're smart, productive, tough and can run, those are great qualities that I saw with the linebackers with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has all those same qualities."
Cowher learned from an elite defensive mind in Marty Schottenheimer, and he had his own defensive wizard in Pittsburgh with Dick LeBeau. Throughout his entire coaching career, he has been surrounded by elite defenses, along with some of the biggest masterminds of that side of the ball. He has been well-trained to identify talent in that regard, and now he can pick out the true studs of today's game.
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Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson lays a hit during a college game with NC State.
Wilson himself has already drawn comparisons to guys like Bobby Wagner, and now he's getting praised as a guy that could run with the big boys from the 1990s and 2000s (when hard-hitting linebackers with endless motors were much more common). If Cowher is right about Wilson, the Steelers have their future captain already on the team, and all it cost them was Kenny Pickett.
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After the Steelers' dominant run that led to three Super Bowl appearances and two victories in the 2000s, they could never get that same production from that linebacker core. Their key contributors went on the decline, then eventually retired. Finding their replacements has been a problem ever since. Even when they found good linebackers, there was always something that went wrong.
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Ryan Shazier and the Steelers' defense celebrates after a big play.
In 2014, the Steelers thought that they finally had their future star linebacker with Ryan Shazier. Him and CJ Mosely were competing for top linebacker in the AFC for a couple years. The future was saved... until Shazier suffered a catastrophic spinal injury that forced him out of a game in 2017. He would never play again. After that, the Steelers were back to square one.
After some more failed projects, the Steelers sent a hefty sum to the Denver Broncos to trade up and select Devin Bush in the 2019 NFL Draft. He also looked like the future of the team, but after a torn ACL in just his second season, he never seemed to truly recover, physically or mentally. His fifth-year option was declined, and he is now on his third team in three seasons.
After hiring a new linebackers coach in Aaron Curry in 2023, the Steelers' linebacker core finally began to blossom. They had three starting-caliber linebackers that were not big names, but they did their job. Everything was great... until Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander suffered season-ending injuries in back-to-back weeks.
Along with Wilson, the Steelers added Patrick Queen as the leader of the new linebacker core. Even though Queen was only signed to a three-year deal, this could be the start of the future core in Pittsburgh. Wilson won't have to produce immediately, and he can learn to be a better linebacker and leader over the next few seasons. As long as he can develop properly (and not suffer a catastrophe *knock on wood*), he will likely bring that big boom that the Steelers have sorely missed since the 2000s.
What do you think about Cowher praising Wilson? Let us know in the comments below.
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