Buy Or Sell: All three offensive linemen the Steelers drafted will eventually earn starting jobs.
Explanation: While the Steelers likely expect their first two draft picks to start right away, they also added an additional offensive lineman in the middle rounds. Troy Fautanu should start at least at some point this year at left or right tackle. Zach Frazier is likely the opening-day starter at the center position. On the other hand, fourth-round pick Mason McCormick has no realistic shot at starting until 2025 at the earliest.
Buy:
Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier are guaranteed starters at some point in their careers. They may both start every single game of their careers for the Steelers, as a matter of fact. The Steelers drafted Mason McCormick because they believe he can start as well.
McCormick will have to sit and wait for an opportunity, but that could come by 2025. James Daniels will be a free agent next year at the end of a three-year contract he signed with the Steelers. General manager Omar Khan specifically mentioned this, unprompted, when discussing McCormick.
Aside from that, Isaac Seumalo turns 31 years old later this year. The Steelers know they’re likely losing one of their starting guards at some point within the next few years. And they now also know that they’ll have McCormick waiting in the wings, honing his craft and waiting.
Sell:
Let’s start with the obvious: the vast majority of draft classes are not as good as they look on paper. Sometimes, you’ll get a class that surprises you in a positive way, but most fail to live up to their potential. I’m not going to say Fautanu or Frazier never earn starting jobs, but a mid-round lineman? Yeah, McCormick probably won’t earn a starting job with the Steelers.
I’m sure the Steelers liked him just fine, but there’s still the reality that they have two quality guards. Yeah, Daniels is a pending free agent, and Seumalo’s getting older, but that doesn’t mean McCormick has a job waiting for him.
For one thing, the Steelers could re-sign Daniels, especially if he has a more consistent season. As for Seumalo and his age, linemen often play longer than most positions. He could have another five or six years to go. And will McCormick ever be better than either of them? By the time either of them leaves the team, the Steelers may be drafting their next starting guard.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
