NC State Newsstand: What they’re saying about Payton Wilson’s combine performance
NC State linebacker Payton Wilson entered the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis with one goal: to prove he was the most athletic linebacker in the draft class.
He seemed to do just that in his on-field testing in front of all 32 NFL teams in attendance. Wilson logged the fastest 40-yard dash time of any linebacker this year with a 4.43 mark — the fifth-best in his position since at least the 2006 combine.
Wilson also logged a 9-foot-11 broad jump and had a 34.50 vertical to round out his on-field performance at the combine.
After his showing on the field, Wilson was able to turn some heads among NFL draft experts, including ESPN’s Jordan Reid, who put the linebacker in his list of day one draft risers from the combine.
“My LB3 — ranked just outside of my top 50 players — helped himself by running a 4.44 in the 40,” Reid wrote of Wilson. “Wilson’s speed shows up frequently on tape, and now we saw it with timed speed.”
“The biggest question won’t be what he is on the field, though,” Reid continued. “After suffering multiple season-ending injuries during his college career, Wilson likely won’t be on every team’s draft board, and his medicals coming out of this week will be key. But he has the potential to be a starter very early in his career, with solid instincts, range and finishing ability as a tackler. He had 130 tackles (18.5 for loss) in 2023.”
While Wilson moved the needle with Reid, he did not have to do the same with Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema, who was already high on the Hillsborough, N.C., native. Wilson’s combine effort continued to prove to Sikkema that he is PFF’s top linebacker in the draft class.
“Wilson had a ton of momentum going into the combine week to earn the LB1 title,” PFF’s Trevor Sikkema wrote. “Though his injury history is extensive, when he’s healthy, he showcased starting-caliber ability at inside linebacker. His athletic testing results of a 4.43-second 40-yard dash, 9-foot-11 broad jump, and a 34.5-inch vertical are evidence of his NFL-caliber athleticism in the middle of the defense. He was PFF’s LB1 going into the week, and that won’t change after seeing his results.”
Wilson’s time at the combine is over, but NC State still has two other players taking part in the annual festivities this weekend. Center Dylan McMahon will hit the field with the offensive linemen on Sunday, while long snapper Joe Shimko will take part in the Specialists Showcase this weekend.
Tweets of the day
Here’s a look back at Wilson’s trip to the NFL Scouting Combine
NC State softball puts its 12-game winning streak on the line at Clemson in a three-game series this weekend.
Wolfpack baseball opened its four game series against Towson with a walk-off single from redshirt freshman catcher Drew Lanphere on Friday afternoon.
Quote of the day
NC State men’s basketball heads to No. 9 North Carolina this afternoon for its penultimate road game of the 2023-24 season. Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts is approaching it like it is another chance for the red and white to build an NCAA Tournament resume.
“We’re just concentrating on the next opportunity,” Keatts said Friday morning at the Dail Basketball Center. “This one happens to be a really good one because it’s a Quad 1 opportunity — it moves the needle. But we don’t ever think that we’re out, the reason being that we do have three opportunities left to help us and then you also have the ACC tournament.”
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