The pick is in.
The 2024 NFL Draft is Omar Khan’s second year as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ general manager and like in past years we evaluate the value of each pick. Based on projections for each player by draft outlets as well as our own reports, we want to see if the pick’s value is above or below how they were ranked coming into the draft.
Round 4 (Pick 119) – Mason McCormick OG South Dakota State
Coming into Day 3, the Steelers were still looking to add a defensive back and defensive linemen. However, the rebuilding of the offensive line and its depth continues with the selection of Mason McCormick.
Daniel Jeremiah had him ranked 101st in his Top 150 but did not have a write-up him.
Lance Zierlein’s profile of McCormick at NFL.com gave him a 5.86 grade (Average Backup or Special Teamer). He opined, “Three-year team captain who brings an incredible amount of starting experience and toughness to the table. McCormick plays with tightness in both his upper and lower half that shows itself when he’s forced to make athletic plays. He can be forceful into first contact but doesn’t display the flexion needed to redirect his weight quickly or play with leverage at the point of attack. His clear-eyed pass protection will attract offensive line coaches and his NFL Scouting Combine testing should have coaches believing there is still much more to bring out of him as a player.”
Dane Brugler had him listed 125th overall in his Top 300. In his draft guide, The Beast, he listed him as the No. 8 guard overall and he has this to say, “A four-year starter at South Dakota State, McCormick was entrenched at left guard in former offensive coordinator Zach Lujan’s balanced gap/zone scheme (also the backup center on the depth chart). After receiving mostly free-agent grades from NFL scouts, he returned for his sixth season in 2023 and turned himself into a draftable player, as he led the Jackrabbits to the second of back-to-back FCS championships. In pass protection, McCormick needs to improve his hand placement and reaction skills, but he plays with quick feet and is advanced mentally to recognize blocking pressures. Despite his body stiffness showing up out in space, he has a tractor beam to defenders as a puller and looks like a fullback with the impolite way he looks to embarrass and bury opponents. Overall, McCormick doesn’t consistently play up to his testing numbers, but he has good eyes and feet in pass protection and outstanding physicality in the run game. He projects as a Day 1 backup (at all three interior line positions) who can become a starter with more coaching.”
CBSSports.com had McCormick as the 84th player on its board and the No. 3 center. “Mason McCormick has an old school offensive lineman aesthetic with the big shoulder pads. He has great upper body strength and plays with a mean streak. McCormick will play to the whistle and finish plays but is susceptible to inside counter moves. His pad level gets too high in the run game, which makes it difficult for him to achieve leverage.”
Our profile on McCormick by Joe Clark gave him a 7.2 grade (Rotational Player, 4th Round). He analyzed his play by saying, “Overall, I did like a lot of what I saw out of Mason McCormick, but despite his extensive collegiate experience, there are still areas for him to improve as he goes from the FCS to the NFL. He’s definitely better as a run blocker than a pass blocker, but a lot of his flaws in pass pro are fixable. He’s likely best suited for an inside run scheme in the NFL.
His issues pulling and playing in space came up a little too often on tape for me to think they’re going to go away completely, but his power in the run game and hand usage to combat pass rush moves still gives him a high floor for what he could be in the NFL.”
Overall, the selection of a third offensive lineman is surprising but that is not what this article is about. This player has a ton of starting experience, tested well, and plays to the whistle. From all the reports, McCormick just needs some coaching to potentially be a starter. Round 4 seemed to be the sweet spot for him and based on the rankings the value of this pick is solid.
