As the Pittsburgh Steelers creep closer to their 2026-27 season, the team’s first with new head coach Mike McCarthy, people are focused on whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be back for another run.
But Rodgers is both the present and, eventually, the past for the Steelers. He’s had an incredible career in the NFL and still plays great football, but even he will admit that he won’t be doing this much longer. That’s why the Steelers have to turn toward new talent.
While the Steelers lapped up a bunch of young talent in the draft, some players on their roster have been there a few years and are just now catching their stride. One of those players is guard Mason McCormick.
The Steelers selected McCormick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft as their 119th overall selection. He’s improving, and people in the NFL are taking notice.
Steelers may have a young star on their hands
In a feature out on Wednesday for PFF, Bradley Locker names McCormick as a breakout player to watch for Pittsburgh in 2026. Why McCormick? It’s because Locker points out that his PFF grade has consistently improved from his rookie year to his second.
Locker makes the point that the player was much better in his second year with the team and saw his PFF grade go from 57.7 to 72.9, a large increase. Plus, he improved immensely as the season went on in 2025, earning the 10th-best guard overall grade at 79.2 from Week 10 to the end of the season.
“The Steelers have developed several homegrown offensive linemen on the rise in recent years, and McCormick could be the next breakout candidate,” Locker states.
He adds: “McCormick still has room to grow in the run game and in playing more steadily, but his work in pass protection could have him in improved standing under Mike McCarthy.”
The Steelers are sitting on a talent who could really bloom in 2026. That’s a positive statement for the future of this franchise.
