With the 2017 NFL Draft now over and the bulk of the heavy lifting done with regard to the roster building process now out of the way, it is easier to begin to take stock of where the Pittsburgh Steelers stand at certain positions, and what the implications might be of a variety of moves for certain players.
And take stock is what we shall do, as every move has ramifications up and down the roster, so now we will take a look at some specific players and see how the team’s moves during the course of the offseason thus far, and more specifically since the draft, have sent their stock rising, falling, or breaking even.
Player: CB Senquez Golson
Stock Value: Down
Since I started this series last offseason, I wanted part of its function to be able to be reactive to recent news, reports, and movements, so today’s stock watch is an example of that branch of the conversation. While the mere fact that third-year cornerback Senquez Golson is even on the field represents a major step forward over the previous two years, it seems so far that his role is being devalued.
Last year, while talking about Golson, the Steelers’ brass were speaking of him as a bonus second-round pick, but this year, the conversation is simply around him making the roster, and the requirement that he do so by earning a job as a gunner on special teams.
Last year, Golson was running as the first-team cornerback in the slot. This year, he is working with the second team, and when there have been opportunities for a reserve to play with the first-team unit, he has been passed up in favor of the third-team cornerback, former college teammate Mike Hilton.
His position coach, Carnell Lake, said that he anticipates that Golson will see a drop-off in his speed and quickness because of the little running that he has done over the course of the past two years, and specifically from the foot injury that he suffered a year ago, which landed him on injured reserve, and caused him issues up through the first couple of months of this year.
He did say that they are not holding him back in any way at the moment, Lake said there are only so many snaps to go around, and that he feels he is giving Golson his fair amount. But they all have seemed to come with the second-team unit, rather than with the first-team, even when the position is available.
As I hinted at in the beginning of this segment, the former second-round pick will have ample opportunity to raise his value over the course of training camp and the preseason, but I would think that the comments of his position coach right now provide a notable update about how they view him right now. As a potential contributor who has a hill to climb.
