With the No. 98 pick in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected NC State LB Payton Wilson. If you watched any amount of his tape, or looked into his impressive collection of college accolades, it was a surprising tumble into the late third round of the draft. Some analysts have pretty strongly stated their opinion that he is a first-round talent that slid due to injury concerns with his extensive history.

As head coach Mike Tomlin does with every player, he called Wilson to let him know that he was being selected by the Steelers.

“I just loved the process, man. We got a chance to meet you in Mobile, and then we brought you in here. That’s just how we work,” Tomlin said in a video posted on the Steelers’ website.

The Steelers had Wilson in for a pre-draft visit, but they also spent time with him at the Senior Bowl in late January as one of the first steps in the process. If his meetings with Tomlin and the Steelers were anything like his interviews with the media at the combine, I am sure Tomlin came away impressed, as I was.

Tomlin was asked in his post-draft press conference if he just goes where he wants and talks to whoever he wants in Mobile and said, “pretty much.”

He is one of the most involved coaches in Mobile, often being right in the middle of a drill, and interacting with as many players as possible. He would have gained great exposure to Wilson both on the practice field and in the meetings they hold with teams after practice.

“I wanna make every play,” Wilson told me in Mobile. “If we play 90 snaps, I wanna make 90 tackles and I’m not coming off the field.”

He also talked extensively about his conditioning and nutrition, and was an open book about his injury history and how he feels he has overcome it. He came off very humble, but very focused on football and doing whatever it takes to be the best player he can be.

Wilson had a solid showing at the practices during the Senior Bowl. He landed on Daniel Jeremiah’s top-10 winners from the week of practice. His athleticism was evident as he stuck with running backs and tight ends in the coverage drills really well. He told me anything below a 4.44-second 40-yard dash and he would be happy. He set that goal and accomplished it with a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the combine.

“This is, it’s not a lightning strike,” Tomlin told Wilson. “You are our type of guy, and we’re glad it worked out, man. We’re just excited about getting you up here, and the big thing is we just wanna wish congratulations to you and your family.”

He has a great opportunity ahead of him with Cole Holcomb’s status still unknown working his way back from injury. Elandon Roberts isn’t under contract past 2024, so alongside Patrick Queen he has as good a shot as any to be a starter moving forward.

The announcement of Mr. Irrelevant is not where the NFL Draft process really ends. After the last pick, many players are signed by teams after going undrafted. Though most of these players are training camp bodies who ultimately don’t make the team, some gems pop up every year out of the group of undrafted players. Following their stellar draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed five undrafted free agents. In order, here is how likely each of these five players are to make the Steelers roster.

How Likely Pittsburgh Steelers Undrafted Free Agents Are to Make Roster

1. Beanie Bishop – DB, West Virginia

Of all five Steelers undrafted free agents, Bishop is head and shoulders the most likely to make the team. While Pittsburgh had a great draft, they didn’t do anything to address their need at slot cornerback. They will probably sign a slot-capable veteran, but Bishop could fill that role perfectly for them. Bishop was a second-team All-American and first-team All-Big 12 selection last season. He is the embodiment of a playmaker, totaling four interceptions and 67 tackles last year. Bishop is very solid in run support, too, which the Steelers always expect of their nickel cornerbacks. Pittsburgh will sign another cornerback, but Bishop will compete in training camp with a real shot of making the roster.

2. Julius Welschof – EDGE, Charlotte

After Bishop, there is a fall-off in probability of any undrafted free agents making the Steelers’ final roster. Julius Welschof, the German-born defensive end, has a shot, though. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are of course the Steelers starting edge rushers, and Nick Herbig is third in the rotation. After Herbig, though, the fourth spot is up for grabs. The team did not re-sign Markus Golden this offseason, who was a productive depth piece for them last year. Welschof is a good athlete who has a chance to compete for a depth spot on the team.

3. John Rhys Plumlee – QB, UCF

Plumlee is an intriguing prospect due to his position versatility. He is a quarterback who also played wide receiver (and baseball at UCF, interestingly). A move back to receiver seemed in the cards for Plumlee if he had a shot of making the NFL, but the Steelers announced his signing as a quarterback. At that position, he’s fighting an uphill battle to pass Kyle Allen for the QB3 roster spot. However, due to his strong athleticism and versatility, Pittsburgh could give him a look as a Taysom Hill-type of player. It’s unlikely, but once he gets to training camp, the Steelers might like Plumlee as a gadget and special teams guy. That, not quarterback, is his best chance of making the roster.

4. Daijun Edwards – RB, Georgia

The leading running back for one of the nation’s best teams, Daijun Edwards didn’t hear his name called during the draft. He probably won’t make the Steelers roster, either. They have their top three running backs. Edwards is a prime candidate for the practice squad, though. With running backs at an increased risk of injury, he would be a good extra piece to have if needed. He won’t break tackles like Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren do. But he’s respectable in the passing game, both as a receiver and blocker, which are two positive traits to have.

5. Jacoby Windmon – LB, Michigan State

Jacoby Windmon is by far the least likely of the Steelers’ undrafted free agents to ultimately make the roster. His biggest roadblock is the Steelers having five linebackers on the team already. They made a huge move in free agency by signing 2023 second-team All-Pro selection Patrick Queen. Elandon Roberts and Cole Holecomb return from last year. Payton Wilson was just drafted in the third round by the Steelers and will be a key contributor. And Mark Robinson sits behind them all as a special teams player and run-stuffing depth piece. It’s just very tough to see Windmon finding himself a spot in the rotation.

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BC Taylor, son of Aliquippa rocker B.E. Taylor, drummed for his girlfriend, award-winning country singer Carly Pearce.

PITTSBURGH ― To describe a Tim McGraw concert, you invariably must use the word “solid.”

That’s precisely how McGraw sounded, looked and entertained Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened, and that was utterly fine.

From the rugged show launcher “Truck Yeah” to the crowd-swaying-along encore finisher “Live Like You Were Dying,” McGraw dependably delivered a straightforward, engaging 90-minute set as tight as his blue jeans.

His band rocked out without getting showy, forging a six-man, front-stage line of guitarists and a bass guitarist for “Southern Voice,” as the three-side jumbo video screen showed Southern icons like Bear Bryant, Rosa Parks and Jerry Lee Lewis.

That video screen gave ample closeups of the oft-smiling McGraw, who regularly worked a catwalk that jutted 13 rows into the crowd. That’s where he did a few slow spins with arms outstretched like airplane wings, before slapping high-fives and shaking hands with fans during “All I Want is a Life.”

McGraw’s voice sounded strong, reaching the requisite high notes on his cover of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.”

Sweet, soulful fiddle emerged for “Just to See You Smile,” which McGraw prefaced with the reminder he doesn’t chatter much during shows, joking he’s accustomed to his family − wife/country superstar Faith Hill and their three daughters − not giving him much space to talk.

Video clip footage of McGraw and Hill appeared on the video screen for the love song “One Bad Habit.” That looked like Hill again, in a more abstract visual, for the next song, the somewhat Yacht Rock-ish “Watch The Wind Blow By.”

The mixed-age crowd − enthusiastic and from what I saw well-behaved − wiggled and grooved for “Something Like That” and sang alone for the final chorus of “Where The Green Grass Grows,” which McGraw finished with a baseball hitters’ stance then an imaginary swing for the fences.

McGraw gave a hometown shoutout to band member Billy Noble, a Carnegie Mellon University grad, for his fine keyboard work on 2023’s”Standing Room Only,” from which this tour draws its name.

Red lights illuminated and intensified the setting for the lyrically dark “Red Ragtop,” which built to a moment where fans waved their uplifted arms in unison. The start of that song, when the lighting was still dark, was a lone moment where McGraw removed his cowboy hat, for just a second, maybe to wipe some sweat.

Taylor Swift showed up for the pulsating “Highway Don’t Care,” beamed on the video screen in music video fashion and earning a post-song cheer when McGraw mentioned her.

It was party time, with soothing fiddle, screaming guitar and pounding, crashing drums as McGraw and his band tore into “I Like It, I Love It.” He subtly changed the Atlanta Braves reference to Pittsburgh Steelers, an acceptable audible in a country show refreshingly low on pandering.

“Felt Good on My Lips” flat-out rocked.

Then five guitar- and bass-wielding bandmates, including McGraw, again formed a loose line to grind out the sturdy “Real Good Man.”

A masterfully crafted setlist brought the crowd-pleasing encore of “The Cowboy in Me” and “Humble and Kind,” with McGraw standing in wisps of dry ice smoke and letting the crowd repeat the final philosophical outro a cappella.

The uplifting “Live Like You Were Dying,” in all its skydiving, Rocky Mountain climbing, Fu Manchu bull-riding glory, ended the show − you guessed it − solidly.

McGraw’s main support, award-winning country star Carly Pearce, did a good job warming the audience.

Commanding the stage in red stiletto boots, matching her above-the-knees red dress, Pearce demonstrated a skillful ability to emotionally “sell” a song.

From the done-me-wrong-but-I’ll-triumph “What He Didn’t Do,” to the devil-may-care attitude of Faith Hill’s “Let’s Go to Vegas,” Pearce was convincing. She apologized for a slightly raspy speaking voice earned two nights earlier when she stood next to the real-life Hill singing along with McGraw songs at a Nashville concert. That rasp added moxie to new song “Truck on Fire,” with its “liar, liar truck’s on fire” vow to ignite the vehicle of a cheating beau.

In real life, Pearce looks to be quite happy with her boyfriend and band drummer BC Taylor, son of beloved Aliquippa rocker B.E. Taylor.

Befitting the night, BC Taylor supplied solid beats that added to Pearce’s enjoyable dozen-song set.

Scott Tady is Times Entertainment Editor and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.