Player: ILB Payton Wilson
Share value: Equal
Argumentation: Stock down would be way too drastic, but Payton Wilson showed some rookie moments in his NFL debut. Otherwise, it was a good performance with some really quality moments, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. The fact that he played so much is promising, and his instincts and speed are evident. He’ll be on the field sooner rather than later, but not as a starter on every down until he develops further.
I can’t say I was impressed with the debut of rookie ILB Payton Wilson. That’s partly because of the high expectations that are justified for a player coaches are calling a key player. But I definitely didn’t see anything on Friday that gave me pause or concern.
Overall, Payton Wilson looked like the Payton Wilson you would expect. You can see his natural talent and football instincts, but he is still a young player who is learning. Considering his long playing time for his first NFL game, he did a commendable job.
So Stock Even might feel like a cop-out, but I think that sums up the game for him. He basically did more or less exactly what I think a lot of people expected him to do. Maybe they didn’t expect him to miss two tackles, but things happen. Ryan Shazier has missed a lot of tackles, after all, and there’s nothing to suggest that this is going to be a chronic problem.
I think the takeaway from the first preseason game is that the Steelers are serious about getting Payton Wilson playing right away, albeit in a sub-package. They’ve been talking about him as a dime defender for months, and he seems up to the task.
But the Steelers still have Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts, so there’s no reason to pressure him. He can start in a smaller role and earn more as he gains safety and experience. I don’t think anyone would be surprised if Wilson overtakes Roberts in the rankings at some point this year, but it won’t happen immediately.
During the season Steelers players’ stock prices rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs depending on the time of year, with in-season considerations more often being short-term in nature. Off-season considerations often have more far-reaching implications, particularly when players lose their jobs or the team signs someone. At this time of year is full of transactionsno matter whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion – many things affect a player’s value. Think of him as a stock in the market based on speculation. You’ll think better of a player after a good game, and worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so keep the magnitude in mind. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of this in the reasoning section of each column.
