Payton Wilson quietly made history during the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 4 win over the Minnesota Vikings. On a blown coverage by safety Chuck Clark late in the fourth quarter, Wilson turned on the jets to track down wide receiver Jordan Addison 81 yards down the field.
Wilson's tackle at the one-yard line forced the Vikings to run four more plays and chew another 61 seconds off the clock. The effort by Wilson very well may have saved the game for Pittsburgh.
But it wasn't the effort or the tackle that was most impressive; it was the record-setting timed speed Wilson reached in his pursuit of Addison in Week 4.
According to Next Gen Stats, Wilson reached a top speed of 22.48 mph on this play. This tracking number instantly broke a record, as Wilson earned the fastest speed ever recorded by a linebacker in the Next Gen Stats era (which began in 2016).
However, Wilson's tracking data on this remarkable play not only proves that he's the fastest linebacker in the league. The data suggests that he's one of the fastest players in the NFL, regardless of position.
Data shows Pittsburgh Steelers LB Payton Wilson is one of the fastest players in the NFL on paper
Since Next Gen Stats started tracking players' top speeds in 2016, only a handful of players have hit a higher number on the radar gun. Using Next Gen Stats tracking data, Fox Sports published a ranking of the top-10 fastest players—in terms of miles per hour on the football field—updated on August 1, 2025.
Unsurprisingly, Tyreek Hill earned the top spot on the list, hitting a top speed of 23.24 miles per hour on a kick return touchdown all the way back during the 2016 season. Hill, who's considered one of the fastest players in NFL history, also earned the third spot on the list when he hit 22.77 miles per hour on an 86-yard punt return touchdown in Week 12 of 2016.
Claiming the number two spot is running back Raheem Mostert, who hit a top speed of 23.09 miles per hour on an 80-yard touchdown run in 2020. Mostert ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at his Purdue Pro Day before entering the NFL in 2015. Mostert also claimed the fourth spot on Fox Sport's list when he hit 22.73 mph on a 76-yard touchdown run.
The top speeds ever recorded by Hill and Mostert were followed by DeSean Jackson (22.60 in 2016) and Stefon Diggs (22.50 in 2016).
That's where Wilson's time would have slid in—in seventh place all-time on the list. Wilson's top speed of 22.48 miles per hour narrowly surpasses Xavier Rhodes, who previously held the top speed ever recorded by a non-ball-carrier.
However, Next Gen Stats data confirms that, in the same Steelers vs. Vikings game in Week 4, speedster defensive back Isaiah Rodgers hit 23.32 miles per hour on the radar gun while tracking down DK Metcalf on his 80-yard touchdown reception (who hit 21.17 mph).
Rodgers' lightning speed across the field officially became the fastest timed speed by a player in the Next Gen Stats era, dethroning Tyreek Hill. On an updated list, Rodgers bumps all of the other names down a spot.
Additionally, Metcalf reached a top speed of 22.64 miles per hour back in Week 7 of 2020 when he chased down Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker on what would have been a pick-six—making the touchdown-saving tackle.
So, instead of recording the seventh-fastest speed in NFL history, Payton Wilson might have the ninth-fastest speed ever tracked on the football field, regardless of position (though it's possible others slipped through the cracks and didn't make it into the database).
Here's what's most fascinating: all of the other names on the top-10 list are wide receivers or cornerbacks (which makes sense). Wilson somehow found his way on the list despite being a 6'4'', 240-pound linebacker who, by the way, has reportedly been playing without an ACL in one knee.
Let's be clear: for a player to have an opportunity to hit the very top-end speed they are capable of, you need a lot of open field in front of you and a straight line to get the wheels turning. Not every player gets this opportunity. It's also worth noting that Next Gen Stats mostly tracks the top speeds of ball carriers, and data for non-ball-carriers is somewhat limited.
Still, this doesn't detract from the awe and wonder we saw from Payton Wilson back in Week 4 against the Vikings. According to the tracking data, the Pittsburgh Steelers don't just have the fastest linebacker in the NFL, they have one of the fastest players ever clocked... and that's saying something.