Just a week ago, the debate was whether second-year OG Spencer Anderson or rookie OG Mason McCormick would be the primary backup center after Nate Herbig was placed on season-ending IR. Now, after Isaac Seumalo’s injury, the debate has shifted to which of the two will be the starting left guard in Week 1.
Seumalo had several veteran days off throughout training camp. Both Anderson and McCormick got first-team reps in his absence, but it was Anderson who was the first off the bench. That also included the preseason games.
One Pittsburgh Steelers insider believes McCormick could ultimately get the Week 1 start.
“I kind of feel like with a whole week to prepare getting Mason McCormick in there, essentially cashing in on a pick that a lot of people were surprised you made back in April using that fourth rounder at a spot where he was blocked by two well-compensated veterans who’ve been pretty good wearing Steelers jerseys,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko said via the North Shore Drive podcast. “I remember sitting there thinking, ‘Man, they must really, really love him.’ And if that’s the case, then yeah, I’m thinking there’s gonna be a chance that they do go with him Week 1.”
Anderson does have an extra year with the team under his belt, but it’s not like he has a ton of guard experience in the NFL. Up until this offseason, he was primarily a backup tackle for the Steelers. He logged just two snaps in his rookie season as a seventh-round pick in 2023.
McCormick was a six-year college player. He played 3,397 snaps at guard in college. Zach Frazier was viewed as an experienced prospect coming out of college, and he had 2,606 center snaps at West Virginia.
To be fair, McCormick is coming from South Dakota State in the FCS against a much lower level of competition.
Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan, Andy Weidl and others have talked about the experience of the 2024 draft class. They aren’t young guys like Broderick Jones was last year. They should be more prepared than your average rookie to compete. Heck, McCormick is even older than Anderson by one month.
“Of course you’d rather [Seumalo] be healthy, but if it’s an excuse to get the rookie in there, a six-year college player…this is your first chance to see what he’s got and then the future is now,” Batko said.
Tomlin said during training camp that McCormick was getting “better in a hurry” and praised his transition from the FCS to the pros. And Post-Gazette insider Gerry Dulac said the team was pleasantly surprised by his mobility.
McCormick had a solid showing in the preseason too. He showed off his physicality. The technique was a little rough around the edges as a run blocker, but Pro Football Focus gave him a strong 77.6 pass-blocking grade with two total pressures and one sack allowed in 47 pass blocking snaps.
