When Bill Cowher was coaching the Steelers, it was never the Hall of Famer's style to heap praise on rookies, especially before they even took the field.

But in his current role as an analyst on the NFL on CBS, the same doesn't always apply.

And that is exactly the case when it comes to Steelers third round pick Payton Wilson, the linebacker from Cowher's alma mater, North Carolina State.

Cowher has naturally followed Wilson's career by default while watching the Wolfpack, meeting him personally when he went to games over the last few years. And he likes what he saw in person and while watching from the comfort of home, especially the way Wilson has battled through multiple injuries in his college career.

"His athletic ability speaks for itself," said Cowher. "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.

"The biggest question people had was the injuries. He kept coming back from that. He's a very resilient young man, very passionate about playing football. It's that combination and getting the opportunity, being in the right system, the right place, he has a great chance to be successful. He's got to go out there and do that on a week in, week out basis.

"He's a very resilient young man. He's been through a lot. All the injuries and he's come back, having to prove a lot of doubters wrong. That little bit of a chip on your shoulder, my advice is don't lose it. Take nothing for granted. My best advice is to seize every opportunity. Don't worry about things you have no control over. Just go out there and be you. Play with confidence. Play quick and play fast. Play physical. Be the same player he's been his last two years, just at another level. The preparation will be a little bit different, a little more intense. It's a more complex game at the next level. But it's still football. It's still about having great intuition and great instincts. He's going to trust his own skill set and instincts and his skill set before self. Just don't overthink it."

For Wilson, hearing those words of praise from Cowher, a person he has referred to as one of his idols, means the world. The advice Cowher has shared with him throughout his career has really hit home, because it's coming from someone whose opinion he values greatly.

"That is special. He is a great person," said Wilson. "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."

And for Cowher, it also meant the world that Wilson referred to him as one of his 'idols' and respects his opinion.

"I was I was kind of taken aback by it when you just told me that, to be honest with you," said Cowher of Wilson's compliment. "It's very humbling to hear someone say something like that. It makes you feel proud about doing the right things. As people say, you never know who's watching. Living your life that way and trying to do the right things, you don't ever know what kind of impact you have on people, and sometimes you don't even realize it till they say something about you. I'm flattered by it.

"I'm excited for him. I'm excited for the Steelers. They got themselves a very productive linebacker. Now it's up to him to go out there and prove it. Knowing the kid, his preparation is second to none. Resiliency has been proven. We know what kind of toughness he has. Just go out there and do it on a regular basis and get acclimated to the system and then just go play the game of football like he's been doing."