Steelers Land South Dakota State OL Mason McCormick in Fourth Round

The Pittsburgh Steelers are drafted South Dakota State offensive lineman Mason McCormick with the 119th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

McCormick was someone that the team hosted for a pre-draft visit. McCormick is another center option, but he can also play guard right away. It should be noted that McCormick played left guard his entire college career, but he worked at the center at the Shrine Bowl and is working there throughout the process, too, meaning that he could be a mid-round option.

As it stands, McCormick is a solid value pick. The 119th pick was right there in the sweet spot for a player like him, who has a little bit of rawness in his game but still has the athletic traits that stick out and could allow him to play early on. Something to note is that is arms are longer than your average guard or center at 33 7/8 inches, and he paired that with good athleticism. McCormick ran a 5.08 40-yard dash, had a 35 1/2-inch vertical jump and put up 32 bench press reps at his pro day.

Mason McCormick is a OG prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.96 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 7 out of 1523 OG from 1987 to 2024.

Pro day pending.https://t.co/0Hznr8UFxd pic.twitter.com/wxXDlxiwsG

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 30, 2024

McCormick is a stout, well-built pass protector and he is strong. His core strength might be his best trait, and he pairs that with fantastic grip strength to stop most interior pass rushers in their tracks. Most guys do not have the combo of pure strength and balance for where he will go, and he has some real upside to become a starter-level player in the NFL. He can get caught leaning a bit at times and his hand placement gets wide, opening up his chest and allowing defenders to push-pull him. But once he cleans up some of those technical issues, he feels like someone with some real starting potential in the NFL along the offensive line with some seasoning to his game.