When you think of the term underrated, you often think of something or someone who is underappreciated to the general public. For example, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a tasty, reliable snack that has been around for ages, but isn’t generally mentioned when bringing up people’s favorite snack foods.
Well, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive guard Isaac Seumalo could be compared to the classic PB&J when it comes to underrated players at their respective positions in the National Football League.
That is what former NFL offensive lineman and current analyst Ross Tucker believes as well, listing Seumalo in his top 10 most underrated players for the 2023 season in a recent article for The 33rd Team.
“Isaac Seumalo had back-to-back injury-riddled campaigns before settling into right guard for the Eagles last year and playing at a high level,” Tucker wrote for The 33rd Team. “That type of play barely gets noticed when you are between future Hall of Famers such as Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, but Seumalo is a Pro Bowl-caliber guard who will have a big impact for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season.”
When healthy, Seumalo has been one of the better guards in football the last several years. He managed to put together a fully healthy season in 2022 and was a key cog on the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line that spearheaded a dominant rushing attack while also protecting QB Jalen Hurts, who went on to have a breakout season. While OL expert Brandon Thorn ranked Seumalo as his 12th-best left guard in the league, Seumalo could easily be in the top-19 conversation, displaying dominance in Pittsburgh’s last preseason game against the Buffalo Bills as both a pass blocker and run blocker.
Simply put, Seumalo doesn’t get the praise he deserves for the caliber of play he puts on tape on a weekly basis. He is one of the steadiest offensive linemen in all of football and has made a huge impact on the Steelers offensive line the short time he’s been here, helping create an amazing running lane that RB Jaylen Warren exploited for a 62-yard TD last Saturday against the Bills. Should Pittsburgh have a strong 2023 season where the offense continues to shine, maybe then Seumalo will start to garner more attention from the general public.
