Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson stands at 6’4″ and weighs nearly 250 pounds. Certainly, the third-year LB knows a thing or two about tackling running backs, whether in games or during back-on-backers drills in practice. For Wilson, however, the hardest running back he has ever had to tackle isn’t even from an opposing team. In fact, it’s his own teammate, running back Jaylen Warren, as Wilson recently shared in an anecdote that was also his welcome-to-the-NFL moment.

“So you know, coming from college, being a little bigger than most running backs, when you’re blitzing, you just lean into them and get them off of you and run right through them, and you know, I thought that was the case with him (Warren),” said Wilson on Good Morning Football. “So, it was fall camp in St. Vincent-Latrobe. We used to do backs on backers when Mike C was here, and just that was kind of the big thing when it came to fall camp practice for linebackers and running backs.

“So my initial thought was just, I’m gonna run through Jaylen Warren. That sounded all good and jolly, and I ran straight at him hit me, and he caught me right up under my chin, unbuckled my chin strap. I think I hit my knee or something. But yeah, you see it every week with him and pass protection in the way he runs the ball. He’s very tough.”

Jaylen Warren didn’t have the elite running back size or speed. He went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft after playing college football at Snow College, Utah State, and Oklahoma State. He was listed at 5-foot-8 and weighed 215 pounds by the Steelers.

Certainly, he was an undrafted rookie trying to secure a place on Pittsburgh’s roster in his early NFL career. At the same time, his physical blocking helped him stand out. And it showed in his NFL debut. During the Steelers’ season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 season, Warren managed only seven rushing yards on three carries.

However, his impact extended beyond the box score. Film analysis documented him delivering a powerful block on linebacker Germaine Pratt and knocking linebacker Logan Wilson down in pass protection during the Steelers’ 23-20 overtime victory. Since then, the running back has established himself as one of the team’s reliable options in the backfield.

His performance in the 2026 season so far only reinforced that. Against the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday, he recorded 188 yards from scrimmage, including an 80-yard touchdown reception and a 50-yard rushing touchdown, as Pittsburgh won 34-22.

Across five games, he has rushed for 410 yards and one rushing touchdown, while leading the league in yards after catch at 289. Meanwhile, PFF recorded 18 missed tackles forced as a runner and an average of 4.1 yards after contact per rushing attempt. This is exactly why Wilson called Jaylen Warren one of the toughest running backs to tackle.

“I tackle running backs, and I’ve played against him for three years now, and I told him the other day, I said, ‘You’re the best running back I’ve ever played against,” said Wilson. “You’re honestly the hardest running back I’ve ever had to tackle. He’s a lot shiftier than people give him credit for.

“When he’s out in the alley, the flat tackle situations, he’s gonna win most of those battles. And then his center of gravity is so low. He’s willing to fight for the extra yards, and he’s so tough. The way he runs the ball, it’s hard to get him on the ground.”

Warren entered the 2026 season after recording the best season of his career in 2025. He finished with 958 rushing yards in 15 starts and 6 touchdowns while also tallying 333 yards through the air, adding 2 receiving touchdowns. But for Wilson, Warren’s toughness was evident long before his NFL production caught attention.