Player: ILB Payton Wilson
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Since arriving in training camp, Payton Wilson has made a positive impression. The rookie third-round draft pick appears headed for a significant contributing role this year, perhaps with more to come. While he still has a long way to go, he is looking like he belongs—physically, mentally, and in performance.
Payton Wilson has not had a perfect training camp so far, and nobody ever does. None of this is ever about perfection or the pursuit of it. But the bottom line is simply that he already looks like he belongs on multiple levels. He looks like he belongs in the NFL; he also looks like he belongs with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That is why they drafted him, after all. A third-round selection, Payton Wilson is potentially the future at the inside linebacker position. Or at least he will be a part of it, the Steelers going out and paying Patrick Queen this offseason.
But Wilson has the physicality, athleticism, and intelligence to make a fine starter in the NFL, sooner or later. He also has the professional maturity to see it through. At least, that is the consistent impression that he gives whenever he talks and by how he carries himself.
The Steelers are challenging Payton Wilson, giving him some tough assignments in backs on ‘backers, working him into first-team reps with the defense, and putting him in a variety of situations on the field. They have him dropping into coverage and blitzing and everything in between.
That is because they want to test him as much as they can now, so there are no unanswered questions before putting him on the field. They don’t need Wilson to start, but they certainly want to benefit from his skill set. He is not immediately knocking Elandon Roberts to the bench, but there is a role for him on this defense. At least, that very much looks to be the direction things are going.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
