Brandon Thorn and his Trench Warfare Substack have been analyzing and ranking offensive and defensive linemen performances for almost a decade. His approach is based on film study and grading players on a scale from one to seven, as NFL teams would in their scouting reports for college and pro personnel. He recently released his top 15 at each of the five OL positions, and Pittsburgh Steelers LG Isaac Seumalo was the lone Steeler on the list. He was eighth of the 15 left guards that he ranked and placed in the third tier of “good or above average” players.
“Seumalo is coming off of his first year as a Steeler and the best year of his career as the leader of a young, talent-infused line,” Thorn wrote. “Seumalo wins by doing everything well and has smarts and balance to consistently operate on time and in proper position despite dealing with extensive injuries over his career that have sapped some of his explosiveness.”
The Steelers’ offensive line is one of the youngest in the league, especially with the addition of rookies Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, and Mason McCormick. Both Fautanu and Fraizer have a good chance of starting Week 1 or shortly thereafter in 2024, and McCormick could become the team’s starting right guard in 2025 once James Daniels leaves the team as a free agent. That makes Seumalo the elder statesman of the OL room and a great source of knowledge for the young players to learn from.
When Seumalo signed with the Steelers, his former teammate Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles praised him as one of the smartest players he has ever been around. Thorn’s analysis of Seumalo is very much in line with Kelce’s thoughts.
“Seumalo received glowing reviews from an All-Pro offensive lineman I talked to at this year’s OL Masterminds summit. The player remarked that Seumalo is ‘one of the smartest and most underrated linemen in the league,'” Thorn wrote. “When you study his film carefully, it is apparent that Seumalo has a firm grasp on the finer aspects of the position.”
Thorn included a cutup of Seumalo’s game tape that includes him succeeding in several different scenarios. As he noted in his rankings, Seumalo does everything well. That video is below at the bottom of the post.
He signed a three-year, $24 million deal in the 2023 free-agency period. At 30 years old, he is likely to finish out this contract before the Steelers move on. But in the meantime, they will enjoy a stabilizing force along the up-and-coming offensive line. Just look at the cover photo for this article as he instructs rookie OG Mason McCormick. That is extremely valuable to have in the room.
This also includes the first handful of games where Seumalo struggled. It was his first time with a new team, and OL coach Pat Meyer’s techniques have proven to have a bit of a learning curve. Now that he is fully up to speed on the Steelers’ way of doing things, he should enjoy an even better season in year two.
James Daniels didn’t make the cut on this top-15 list from Thorn, nor did any of the three young players. That is poised to change as soon as next year when Frazier, Fautanu, and Broderick Jones could all ascend to the upper echelon of their position.
