As NC State's Payton Wilson waits to be taken in NFL draft, former coaches knew he was special

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- By all accounts, Payton Wilson was the best Charger to ever walk the field.

The Chargers of Orange Middle School that is.

"He was a phenomenal player, a great teammate, and great friend to everybody," said Aaron Carr, who coached Payton in middle school football and wrestling. "I have a lot of great memories of him on the football field but he made it fun, too."

The former NC State linebacker and ACC Defensive Player of the Year is headed to the NFL Draft and will likely be picked Friday in the second round.

He grew up in Orange County alongside his brother Bryse, who pitches for the Milwaukee Brewers.

"Payton's energy and competitiveness was contagious," Carr said. "He elevated everybody around him. He was so intense and that rubbed off on everybody around him."

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Carr showed ABC11 the newspaper clippings he still keeps and the photographs. And they are not just about football -- Wilson also wrestled and won a state championship in high school.

"We all kind of knew it all along," Carr said. "You could tell in middle school that this guy was going to be great at something."

Wilson came back from two ACL surgeries in high school and college before getting to this point.

"What you don't see is the heart on inside of the guy," said Van Smith, who coached him in football for four years at Orange High School. "Watching him grow up from a puppy, knowing that this day could come, and seeing it come to reality is really cool."

Smith said it's fun to see Wilson's actions off the field, too. He said he has dreams of becoming a special education teacher but that might have to wait while he fulfills his other goal.

"He just has a huge heart for people," Smith said. "He has a servant's heart: football or no football, he's got a bright future."

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