PFF Tabs Isaac Seumalo as Most Underrated Steelers Player
Veteran Pittsburgh Steelers left guard Isaac Seumalo doesn’t say much, but when he does it speaks volumes. With Seumalo’s low profile, it makes sense that Zoltán Buday of Pro Football Focus tabbed him as the most underrated player on the Steelers. He certainly doesn’t get enough recognition for his stellar play.
“Seumalo was part of arguably the NFL’s best offensive line while in Philadelphia, and although he did not get off to a good start in Pittsburgh, he soon proved why the Steelers signed him as a free agent in 2023. Excluding the first two weeks, he earned a 78.3 PFF overall grade, which ranked sixth among guards during that span,” Buday wrote.
The Steelers acquired Isaac Seumalo via free agency in March of 2023 and one of his former teammates Jason Kelce gave him a ringing endorsement.
“I think he’s one of the best guards in the NFL, and I think he has been,” Kelce said last May. “I think he’s one of the most consistent players I’ve ever been around, one of the most consistent people I’ve ever been around. So we’re not going to replace Isaac, there’s going to be someone new in there, and they’re going to have their attributes that they’re going to excel with, and I’m looking forward to seeing who does a really good job with that.”
That’s certainly high praise from a future Hall of Famer and one of the best centers to ever play the game.
Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu will have a great mentor in his rookie season, as the team placed his locker next to veteran Seumalo.
“I’m right next to Isaac,” Fautanu said. “I’ve apologized to him because I’m going to be bothering him a bunch. When you’ve got a guy like that, a nine-year vet that’s been around the league for so long, you want to pick his brain. He’s got a lot coming. I’m going to be bothering him a whole bunch.”
Both players are also of Polynesian descent, which Troy Fautanu thinks will be beneficial in their relationship. Seumalo is from Honolulu, Hawaii, while Fautanu was born and raised in Henderson, Nevada. Fautanu is of Samoan and Tongan heritage.
“Just knowing he was brought up on the same morals and values that I was makes it a little bit easier to talk to him,” Fautanu said.
During his post-pick conference call with reporters, Fautanu revealed that Seumalo already reached out to him. They met a few weeks back on Fautanu’s pre-draft visit to the Steelers.
“Isaac Seumalo actually reached out to me. I met him when I was in Pittsburgh a couple weeks ago, and getting a text from a guy like that, a vet guy that’s been around the league so long,” Fautanu said, via an audio clip posted by 93.7 The Fan.
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