Pittsburgh Steelers rookie has a relationship with Bill Cowher that is already paying dividends

For Hall of Fame Head Coach Bill Cowher, the Pittsburgh Steelers will always be home.

A natural connection to the city that started at birth, he was born to coach the Steelers.

But before his coaching career, he played LB at N.C. State. That just so happens to be the Alma Mater of rookie LB Payton Wilson, a pick that generated glowing reviews.

Well, it's safe to say Cowher is high on his fellow Wolfpack brother, and Wilson is taking it in with open ears.

Wilson-Cowher foster terrific relationship.

"His athletic ability speaks for itself," Cowher told Teresa Varley of Steelers.Com "It's off the charts. You see it in his play. Some people run fast, but they don't play fast. Payton runs fast and he plays fast. He has great cover ability. It's probably made more for today's game than back even 10 or 15 years ago because it's a very wide-open game. It's a game of speed, angles, and understanding the concepts of football. He has all of that. He's proven that the last couple of years with his productivity...

"...He has a lot of physical attributes from a speed standpoint, from a coverage standpoint. He can play off the ball, he can play on the ball. He's a smart kid. He can play a lot of different positions. If you're smart, productive, tough and can run, those are great qualities that I saw with the linebackers with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has all those same qualities."

Wilson was the best LB in the entire class in my opinion. The only, and I mean only reason he even made it to the third round was a checkered past when it comes to injuries, but he debunked many of those claims once joining the Steelers, with NFL Draft analyst and former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah saying that it was ridiculous that he fell that far.

"That is special. He is a great person," Wilson told Varley when presented with Cowher's quote. "He is one of my idols. I first met him two years ago, and my grandma grew up a massive Steelers fan, so she's absolutely in love with Bill Cowher. When I met him, I had to let him know that. Last year he came around a few times and just being able to speak to him and gain some knowledge from him, it was truly inspirational. Not just the fact that he's one of the greatest coaches ever, one of the greatest to ever play at N.C. State, but it's just the person that he is. Obviously, every single person knows who he is. But if you had no clue who he was, you would never know just because of how he presents himself and how humble and how well-spoken he is...

"...One of the better things that he taught me was that when you go to the NFL, it's still the same game that you've been playing your whole life. It's just played by different people. A little more talent and a little more football IQ goes into it. But at the end of the day, just go out there and have fun and try to be the best player that you possibly can be. It's advice I will always hold onto because of who it came from."

These two will likely bond over a special kind of history for the extent of their lives. Being able to go to a Hall of Famer for advice is never a bad thing, and I'm sure Coach Cowher would love to help the next generation whenever he can.