Payton Wilson- North Carolina State
One of the toughest players in the draft who will give a team his all on every snap is NC State linebacker Payton Wilson. The Chuck Bednarik Award winner is a tackling machine as he led the ACC with 136 tackles.
Wilson excels at diagnosing plays and was the heart and soul of the Wolfpack defense. His versatility will allow him to be used in multiple ways as he is capable of lining up at linebacker, as an edge rusher on at defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. He is athletic with a high motor and does well at stuffing the run and is also good in coverage allowing him to stay on the field on all 3 downs.
The only thing that may scare general managers away is Wilson's extensive injury history. Wilson suffered 2 torn ACLs and also was forced to miss time due to a significant shoulder injury during his tenure at NC State.
An encouraging sign for teams was Wilson's combine performance as he ran a 4.44 40-yard dash. It appears that those injuries hasn't affected his straight line speed and that may convince a team to take a chance on him. Wilson is talented enough to be a starter and if the Falcons decide to draft him, he should at the least become a rotational player and should be able to find a role in Jimmy Lake's scheme.