Can Mason McCormick be the hidden gem of the Steelers’ offensive line?
Mason McCormick is not the flashy, uber-athletic, high-pedigreed Power-5 guy of the Steelers’ line, but he knows how to play. That’s all they are asking him to do, and perhaps he can do that at quite a high level. The Steelers saw enough of him as a rookie to feel confident he can start, but how good can he be?
Now, I’m not talking about David DeCastro levels of play, where he is a perennial All-Pro and staple lead blocker. But accolades often coincide with pedigree, and South Dakota State’s Mason McCormick doesn’t have that. He has a fourth-round pedigree, but he also has 14 starts of solid play already under his belt. And the Steelers didn’t expect him to play last year, but they’re sure glad he did.
The Steelers drafted McCormick with an eye toward 2025, but setting nothing in stone. They hoped that he might give them indications that he could start, allowing them to move on from James Daniels. When Daniels went down, he had to start—and on the whole, he looked the part.
Now, Mason McCormick is the starting right guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers, so what is the next step? At least after building chemistry with draft classmates Zach Frazier and Troy Fautanu, that is. This is still a young offensive line, and it will need some time to grow together.
To frame this question in another way, what will we be saying about Mason McCormick three years from now? Will he even still be with the Steelers, and will it be because he priced himself out? After all, they are hoping they will need big contracts for Frazier, Fautanu, and Broderick Jones.
They won’t be able to pay everybody, so if McCormick is too much of a gem, they will struggle to afford him. But given the recent history of the offensive line, that is a problem the Steelers would race to sign up for.
McCormick certainly has the mental makeup to compete at the highest level. He will get the most out of his talents, but how far can his talents take him? The Steelers see more athleticism in him than they anticipated, and he has power. Will they lean into his skill set, or just ask him to do his job?
The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The 2025 NFL Draft class is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete.
But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. At least we can finally put the Aaron Rodgers situation to bed and move on to other things. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.
