The Pittsburgh Steelers selected South Dakota State OG Mason McCormick 119th overall in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, bringing a battle-tested prospect with over 70 games played into the fold. As mentioned in Joe Clark’s scouting report on McCormick for Steelers Depot, the former Jackrabbit profiles as a better run blocker at this stage of his career than as a pass protector. McCormick helped pave the way for a dominant South Dakota State rushing attack.
However, when you evaluate McCormick as a pass protector, you see positive instances on tape when it comes to keeping the quarterback clean in the pocket. As Clark mentioned in his scouting report, McCormick is a strong, stout blocker who often doesn’t lose a rep once he has his hands on the defender in good position. Watch this rep below against Montana where McCormick gets hands on the defender’s chest at the snap of the ball and stays with him through the entire rep, matching the defender’s counter moves to neutralize his rush.
McCormick has a strong anchor and base, which help him dig into the ground against pass rushers on the interior, stalling their bull rush attempts as he creates a stalemate to end the rush. Watch the clips below as McCormick combines good hand placement on his initial punch, as well as the ability to redirect with defenders who attempt to counter across his face the end their rush.
McCormick has also shown that he can hit and replace with his hands in pass protection when his initial punch doesn’t land. Watch McCormick redirect his hands in this 1-on-1 rep in the Shrine Bowl practices earlier this spring. He gets a good fit with his left hand while taking his right hand, which lands on the outside shoulder of the defender to get underneath the breastplate and neutralize his rush while extending at his hips to hold the pass rusher up in the drill.
Still, McCormick does has some technical deficiencies that he needs to iron out to be a trusted pass blocker at the NFL level. He tends to duck his head and lunge into defenders often, playing with his weight over his toes which can lead to whiffs. Watch the clip below against Iowa where McCormick gets his hands outside new fellow Steelers teammate DL Logan Lee and drops his head on initial contact, allowing Lee to easily shed the block and get into the pocket.
McCormick also tends to struggle with staying engaged on his blocks throughout the rep by repeated urgency and intent to hit and replace with his hands. In the clips below, we see a lack of effort by McCormick to consistently engage as a pass protector throughout the rep, showing good effort at the start of the rep, but allowing the defender to fall off as the play progresses.
Mason McCormick is in a good place as a rookie, sitting behind the likes of starters Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels as well as reserve IOL Nate Herbig, meaning that he’ll likely have a redshirt year to work on his technique in pass protection before getting thrown out there to see significant playing time. He has the tools to be a reliable pass protector at the next level, but does need to clean up some balance issues and stay on his blocks more consistently to be trusted in a future starting role.
McCormick may not be in-line to start as a rookie, but with Daniels and Herbig both having their contracts up at the end of the 2024 season, McCormick will have every opportunity to compete for the starting job across from Seumalo next season if neither are retained. Even if Daniels is brought back, there’s a good chance that McCormick can step into Herbig’s role as the top reserve interior offensive lineman. Further development as a pass protector will help him round out his game.
