Our third installment of “Training Camp Battles” takes us to a position that I hadn’t planned on visiting. The Pittsburgh Steelers however appear likely to not be doing anything with the contract of guard James Daniels. While no one will confuse Daniels’ play with that of an all-pro, he has done an excellent job since coming over from Chicago. Entering the final year of his contract, it seemed certain that the team would extend him. Their decision not to is why this is all of a sudden a place where competition could ramp up.
When the Steelers drafted Mason McCormick, a powerful guard out of South Dakota State in the fourth round, there were a few things that I took note of. First, it’s always good to have depth on the offensive line. Second, Isaac Seumalo will turn 31 during the season and is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. Lastly, if McCormick makes the roster then what about Nate Herbig? Does he become a center only or does he continue to be an option at guard as well?
The real question here is could McCormick dethrone Daniels? Let’s take a look at McCormick to see if this is even possible.
McCormick is a monster standing 6’5″ and weighing in at 315lbs. He’s a three-time team captain and two-time FCS All-America while playing for one of the premier programs in the country. He’s made 57 straight starts and has primarily played left guard throughout his career at SDSU. This is where I want to make a note… The Steelers took a similar guy several years ago in Kevin Dotson who played almost exclusively on the right side. They moved him to left guard and he struggled. After sending his to the LA Rams, Dotson has thrived. He’s back in his right guard spot and is playing at a high level. I’m not saying the same thing will happen with McCormick but it does concern me.
As a player, McCormick is powerful and has tremendous upper body strength. He routinely mauled opponents as a run blocker and was more than suitable as a pass protector. One must consider his level of competition however. While they play really good football at the FCS level, McCormick was often playing guys 30-50lbs lighter than he was. That won’t happen in the NFL as he faces guys weighing as much as he does or guys that are significantly lighter and quicker. Will he be able to make the necessary transition?
As I mentioned in the opening, this isn’t a real competition. James Daniels will be the starter in Atlanta during week one barring injury. Daniels has been the one constant on this unit the last few seasons and really is the leader of the unit. This makes the decision (so far) to let him get to free agency at the end of the year absolutely bizarre. He’s just 27 years old and may in fact be in the prime of his career.
The Steelers recognize that they will eventually have to pay two offensive tackles large sums of money down the road should both play at the level expected of first round picks. Perhaps this is why they are approaching Daniels the way they are.
At the end of the day, Daniels is the guy but I don’t believe McCormick will be intimated by anyone. I fully expect him to be a guy the Steelers can rely on down the road. How far down the road is the question.
