The Ravens had a lot of need for players to step up against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here are three players whose stock has gone up:
1. Trystan Colon-Castillo
For the Baltimore Ravens, it’s hard to complain about anything with Trystan Colon-Castillo getting his first NFL action against a very formidable Pittsburgh Steelers team. It wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t always pretty.
That being said, Colon-Castillo held his own, had good snaps to the quarterback, and wasn’t the worst lineman on the field. He wasn’t dominant, yet he wasn’t a complete liability. That exceeds expectations as the Steelers were surely trying to make him the weak link.
Pro Football Football Focus gave Trystan Colon-Castillo a grade of 52.9. For a point of reference, D.J. Fluker‘s 2020 PFF grade so far sits at 59.5. One is a veteran in the league and a former high draft pick. One is a rookie who never played an NFL snap in the regular season before this game. You can say that’s a loss for Fluker (it clearly is) yet it’s a huge win for Colon-Castillo.
A somewhat solid first start against the Steelers, playing with a make-shift offensive line can only go so well. Baltimore wasn’t holding Colon-Castillo to Matt Skura or Pat Mekari standards. They just wanted somebody to get them through the game. Colon-Castillo did that.
At 6-4 and weighing in at 315 pounds, Colon-Castillo looks the part. His technique looked solid. He didn’t play too high, he didn’t get too reachy or overextend and become off-balanced. With more experience, Colon-Castillo should have a chance to become a quality starter.
The reason Colon-Castillo’s stock is up is clear, the idea of him being the starting center next season isn’t crazy. This was his first shot in the NFL, in a tough spot to be in. He did well considering all the circumstances. This is a player potentially on the rise. He showed a good beginning point to his career.