Upon Review: Grading the 2025 Steelers offensive linemen

Steel City Underground presents it’s ‘Upon Review’ series of Pittsburgh Steelers positional group grades for the 2025 NFL season with statistical analysis and performance reviews.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line – once pegged as a potential weakness entering the 2025 NFL season – transformed into one of the league’s more reliable units by year’s end. Ranked 21st in preseason evaluations by Pro Football Focus, the group climbed to eighth overall in the site’s final assessments, bolstered by strong pass protection and the growth of its young core. Despite allowing 31 sacks – placing them in the middle of the pack league-wide, according to NFL.com – the Steelers’ front five provided enough stability to support a 10-7 record and an AFC North title. The unit’s performance graded out as a solid B overall, reflecting improvement in pass-blocking efficiency while highlighting areas for refinement in run support.

We look at the primary starters along the offensive line, analyze and grade their performances.

Zach Frazier (C)

Frazier solidified his status as one of the league’s promising young anchors. The former second-round pick posted a 73.5 overall PFF grade (eighth among 40 centers), with a 74.7 pass-blocking grade ranking fifth among all NFL centers. Frazier allowed 11 pressures at a 1.7% rate – fourth-best among centers – and committed just one penalty, per PFF. However, his run-blocking grade dipped to 71.4 from 80.5 in 2024, reflecting some regression in creating interior lanes for backs Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell, and Kaleb Johnson.

Frazier’s 99.1 pass-blocking efficiency ranked fourth, helping protect Aaron Rodgers on short throws that generated 2,270 yards after catch, second-most for any QB, per NFL stats. Frazier’s performance in 2025 shows he has room to reclaim his rookie-year run dominance.

Grade: B+

Broderick Jones (LT)

At left tackle, Jones anchored the blind side but remained the unit’s most inconsistent performer. Switching full-time to left tackle after playing primarily on the right in his first two seasons, Jones posted a 57.7 overall PFF grade, ranking 71st among 89 qualified tackles. His pass-blocking grade of 59.0 (68th) and run-blocking mark of 50.6 (80th) reflected early-season struggles, including a career-low 11.4 grade in a Week 6 loss to Cleveland, per PFF.

Jones allowed multiple pressures in several games, contributing to Rodgers’ quick-release style that averaged just 5.9 air yards per attempt. While he showed flashes of athleticism, particularly in containing edge rushers like Myles Garrett in a rematch, his performance signals a need for refinement if Pittsburgh aims to offer him a fifth-year option on his rookie contract.

Grade: D

Isaac Seumalo (LG)

Seumalo provided stability on the interior, emerging as the line’s top performer. The 32-year-old earned a 74.8 overall PFF grade (12th among 81 guards), with an elite 78.5 pass-blocking grade that ranked fourth at the position. Seumalo surrendered just 20 pressures over 504 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF, and was defeated on only 14% of run-blocking plays – the 14th-best mark among guards.

Seumalo’s consistency helped Pittsburgh achieve the NFL’s second-best pass-blocking efficiency rating of 88.8, trailing only the Denver Broncos, per PFF. Seumalo’s run-blocking grade of 68.2 (26th) was solid but not dominant, aligning with the team’s middling ground attack.

Grade: A-

His contributions make him a linchpin in the Steelers offensive line despite speculation about his free agency future.

Mason McCormick (RG)

McCormick’s 71.1 overall PFF grade ranked 21st among guards, with a 71.6 pass-blocking mark (16th) and 66.7 in run blocking (28th). He boosted his run-blocking grade by 15 points from 2024 and yielded three or more pressures just three times across 18 games. McCormick’s lone playoff game — a wild-card loss to Houston — earned him an 83.0 grade, the highest among guards in the postseason, including an 82.2 run-blocking mark.

Grade: B-

With just one penalty all season, his steady play underscored the interior’s strength. McCormick did not progress as much as Frazier and needs to build on consistency this offseason, especially in run blocking.

Troy Fautanu (RT)

Fautanu built on a injury-shortened 2024 to become a reliable, if not overly exciting, bookend. The 25-year-old posted a 66.7 overall PFF grade (44th among tackles), with a 71.0 pass-blocking grade (40th). Fautanu’s run-blocking showed promise, including an 86.7 grade in one standout game, but could use work. He started all 18 games, a leap from his 55 snaps in 2024, and contributed to the unit’s low 117 pressures allowed overall.

Grade: C

While not elite, Fautanu’s growth shows potential for improvement.

Dylan Cook

Dylan Cook, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ reserve offensive tackle, emerged as a surprise standout in limited action during the 2025 NFL season, stepping up amid injuries. Making his NFL starter debut in December, Cook quickly proved his worth, particularly in pass protection.

Appearing in five games with four starts, Cook logged 291 offensive snaps – about 28% of the team’s total. In those outings, Cook surrendered just nine pressures across 348 pass-blocking snaps, including three hurries, four quarterback hits and two sacks. His pass-blocking grade of 79.4 ranked among the top 10 in the league for tackles with at least 200 snaps, trailing elite performers like Trent Williams but outpacing many veterans.

Cook’s run-blocking lagged behind, posting a 70.1 PFF grade that ranked 41st among tackles. This aligned with Pittsburgh’s 26th-ranked rushing attack, which averaged just 103 yards per game, though Cook’s efforts in creating seams were evident in games where the Steelers eclipsed 150 rushing yards.

Grade: B+

Overall position group grade

PFF ranked the unit 21st, to a final ranking of 8th among all 32 NFL teams in their end-of-season offensive line rankings.

Grade: B-

The Steelers’ line allowed injuries to force some shuffling (e.g., to Jones and others), but the young core plus Cook’s emergence minimized the impact from these reserves.

Ungraded

• Spencer Anderson (LG/versatile interior)
• Ryan McCollum (C)
• Calvin Anderson (OT, primarily LT)
• Andrus Peat (G/OT)
• Jack Driscoll (swing OT/G)
• Max Scharping (G)