Welcome to the NFL, Mason McCormick. From one moment, he’s shutting down veterans left and right. The next, he’s getting burnt by Cam Heyward. It’s all part of the training camp process and McCormick got more than his fill during one Latrobe practice.
A guest on LS Christian Kuntz’s latest episode of his podcast, McCormick remembers getting to face Heyward for the first time in 1v1. Kuntz saw it too and relayed what happened.
“I go over watch the 0-line/d-line and Mike T always will graduate offensive linemen if they’re dogging another d-linemen. They’ll move up and they’ll go against DeMarvin Leal. Then this, then this, then this. Then, if you keep graduating, you go to Cam Heyward. And I remember this guy, he went like five reps in a row. First rep, he dog watered somebody. Second rep, dog watered somebody. Third rep got somebody again. Then they pulled out or then they pulled out Cam on the third rep.”
McCormick had success on his first two reps against Heyward. But the combination of an angry Heyward and tired McCormick led to a TKO on the third one.
“A spin move…He put me in a blender,” McCormick said.
It’s something we noted watching it live and shared in our daily Steelers’ training camp notes.
Here’s the play-by-play of the entire sequence from that session, the tenth camp practice.
“14. Mason McCormick had a great rep against Logan Lee, using a strong punch and key first significant contact to shut down the rep early.
15. They go again. Lee a little more success but McCormick re-fits his hands and stalls Lee out.
16. Aggressive on-body set from McCormick to win easily versus Lee. Great showings from McCormick.
27. McCormick’s great reps earlier let him graduate to the school of Cam Heyward. Heyward jolts him on his bull rush and sheds him late.
28. They go again. Even better bull from Heyward, leveraging and getting under McCormick and running him back.
29. They go one more time. McCormick is trying to be aggressive with his set to get hands on Heyward. But Heyward knows it’s coming and hits him with a dirty outside spin move, dusting McCormick as he loses his balance forward. Big oohs and ahhs from the defensive crew.”
In context, McCormick didn’t take all those reps consecutively. The three against Logan Lee came earlier in the period, allowing him to catch his breath before facing Heyward. Still, having to go three-straight reps against Heyward during the dog days of summer (and the reps go fast) is taxing. There’s no shame in McCormick getting burned against the normally power rush Heyward. And hey, he got to use a spin of his own earlier this year.
For a rookie like McCormick, it’s a great way to learn.
“He’s seen so much football that he will pick apart anything that you’re doing wrong,” he said of Heyward. “And so you really have to be on your game. That’s huge. Even in practice. Because he’ll bring it.”
Because McCormick spent most of camp with the 2’s and given Heyward’s several days of rest, the two didn’t square off much in camp. Getting any work against him was valuable. Before shifting to right guard mid-season, McCormick presumably saw more of Heyward in practice, accelerating his learning curve from rookie reserve to starting right guard. Overall, McCormick has handled all the obstacles thrown his way, a rookie playing a new position, exceedingly well and figures to remain the Steelers’ starter in 2025.
Even for Heyward, those training camp reps can be valuable. A chance to work on “off-speed pitches” like his spin move that he breaks out in the right moment on gameday. Here he is using it against Dallas in Week 5 to pressure QB Dak Prescott.
Iron sharpening iron. And proof those reps back in August can pay off for everyone come the fall.
