As Mike Tomlin likes to say, the second lap around the track is when young players tend to find their stride and breakout in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers are counting on that being the case with center Zach Frazier and right guard Mason McCormick, two important pieces in the trenches moving forward.
After Frazier had a terrific rookie season and McCormick had flashes in Year 1, the 2025 season has real promise for the pair.
In fact, Steelers’ long snapper Christian Kuntz is high on the duo on the interior of the offensive line, naming Frazier and McCormick his breakout players for Pittsburgh.
“I just think, dude, those two are attached to hip. It’s great,” Kuntz said of Frazier and McCormick, according to video via The Christian Kuntz Podcast on YouTube. “They’re like boys. They work together, they play together. And I just think Year One to Year Two in the NFL, especially on the o-line with how many reps they got, you gotta expect a big jump. And those guys know that.
“And I think that they’re gonna make a big jump for us. Our o-line’s gonna be underrated for sure.”
Frazier and McCormick came in together as rookies, alongside right tackle Troy Fautanu as the Steelers selected offensive linemen three times in the first five picks for the first time since 1976 as GM Omar Khan put an emphasis on the trenches.
Coming in together at rookie minicamp, playing the same position and playing right next to each other helped speed up the bonding between Frazier and McCormick. So when McCormick stepped into the starting lineup in Week 5 due to injury, the pair were able to get off to a fast start.
Outside of Frazier’s ankle injury, which kept him from the lineup in Weeks 7 and 8, the two played almost every snap together from Week 5 to the end of the regular season. Now, they’re being counted on as key pieces in the trenches for the Steelers.
There are high expectations for Frazier individually, with longtime reporter Mark Kaboly believing he’ll be an 8 to 10-time Pro Bowler and earn multiple All-Pro accolades. After winning the team’s Joe Greene Award last year as the top rookie, and earning a first-team All-Rookie accolade from the Pro Football Writers of America, the sky is the limit for Frazier.
He was outstanding in pass protection last year, and had some great moments in the run game, too. He has to adjust to another new starting quarterback this offseason, but in Year 2 he knows what to expect on the field and how to communicate to teammates.
As for McCormick, he was up and down as a rookie but showed plenty of promise, especially in pass protection. Now that he’s adjusted to the speed and the physicality of the NFL game, he should be able to take off in the run game, too. An area he’s expected to be thrive due to his nasty play-style in college.
If Frazier and McCormick can truly break out this season, the Steelers’ offensive line should be very good in front of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. That would serve the Steelers well as they aim to compete this season with a number of big names joining the franchise this offseason.
Check out the full episode of “The Christian Kuntz Podcast” below.
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