How NC State LB Payton Wilson tested at the NFL combine
NC State linebacker Payton Wilson wanted to turn heads at the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, but he did not want to predict his totals in the days leading up to his testing.
“I think that I’m going to have a really good day tomorrow,” Wilson said before his on-field workouts at the Combine Wednesday afternoon. “I’m just excited to continue to prove to everyone that I’m one of the most athletic linebackers to ever come through this combine.”
Well, Wilson did not wait to impress all 32 NFL teams with his performance among the other top linebackers in this year’s draft.
The Hillsborough, N.C., native ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any linebacker in his first attempt with a blazing 4.43. That left him with a wide smile on his face afterwards once he saw the time appear on the scoreboard.
Wilson followed that effort with a 4.49 unofficial 40-yard sprint on his second attempt in the event. His times were around what he had run in front of Wolfpack Director of Strength and Conditioning Dantonio Burnette earlier this year.
“He ran in the 4.4-something for us,” Burnette told TheWolfpacker.com earlier this week. “I think he may run 4.39, which will be really fast for a linebacker. He hit one of the top speeds this past season against Notre Dame, and it wasn’t a shock to me and my staff. We were like ‘We see that all the time.’”
While Wilson impressed in the 40-yard dash, he posted a 34.50 vertical jump, which was the ninth-best among linebackers, and a 9-foot-11 broad jump — the eighth-best in the position group.
Wilson did not run the shuttle or 3-cone drill at the combine.
Payton Wilson’s testing metrics
Height: 6-3
Weight: 233
Hand: 9’’
Arm: 30 ½’’
40-yard dash: 4.43 (1st attempt), 4.49 (2nd attempt)
Broad jump: 9’11’’
Vertical jump: 34.50
