My thoughts on our roster..... O-line

Games are won up front..... there is nothing that our offense can do if the guys on the front line are not doing their jobs.... we've used quality draft capital and brought in high profile free agents in an attempt to improve in that area and growth is still needed... there were some really bright spots though, and it will be a privilege to see those bright spots progress.... at the same time some of the struggles were real.... some injuries also hit hard, and we will see how that plays out on player's returns next season.... coaching in that area will also be huge, but we've already discussed that, so here goes....


OT:
Dan Moore ---- had his best season as a pro ...
Despite that, his play can still be considered average.... his struggles against speed rushers is quite evident, and still hasn't developed much of a punch... the improvement though, will be important for him as he is now a free agent... with a premium on the position, and this yr being a weaker draft up front, I fully believe a desperate team will overpay for his services and he will move on

Broderick Jones --- was supposed to challenge Moore on the Left side, but with coach Tomlin not wanting to hand the RT job to a rookie, he had to go back to the right to provide competition.... then came Troy Fautanu's injury and the issue became moot...
Jones struggled mightily on the right side, including preseason, where it was clear that he was battling an injury... the uneven play continued into the regular season, where the difference in footwork on the right as opposed to the left was clear... his play improved a bit in the 2nd half of the yr, as did his attitude. ... Jones cut down on his penalties and appeared to take a leadership role on the field... If Moore leaves in free agency, expect Jones to slot into his natural position on the left, where significant improvement will be expected

Troy Fautanu ---- red shirt rookie yr due to injury... during camp, Fautanu showed why he was a 1st rd pick and expectations will be high next season as he will be expected to take over the right side.... highly athletic and can probably play every spot on the line if needed... his play and development will be watched with great anticipation

Calvin Anderson ---- injured most of the yr,.. when he did return late, his play was uneven...
Holds up well against bull rushers, but is useless against speed... his play actually has me believing that he should be moved inside to guard...


OG:
Isaac Seumalo --- veteran coming back from injury... very smart player and a leader on the line... struggled more this season with bull rushers, and I can only think that he is not 100% from the injury yet.... with a full yr back though, I would expect him to return to the solid play that we've grown accustomed to...
As he gets older, I expect the team to add someone in the near future in the draft to replace him... for now though, he is our LG for the foreseeable future

Mason McCormick ---- the rookie was supposed to learn on the bench behind James Daniels and take over the RG spit next season... the football Gods stepped in though and after Daniels was lost early to injury, the future became now..... Mason played at a very high level, which was surprising coming from his small school background... strong against the run and more polished against the pass than originally thought... also played with a fire that was highly refreshing.... the sky's the limit for him

Spencer Anderson ---- initially starting the season for Seumalo as he was coming back from injury..... Anderson's play was so poor that he was quickly benched for McCormick..
When Daniels went down and McCormick was switched to the Right, we were lucky that Seumalo came back when he did... Anderson has shown me someone who has no business on the field and I don't expect him to be on the roster when the season starts next yr

James Daniels --- solid rg during his time in black and gold and at times was our best lineman.... he was informed in camp that he would not be extended so his injury was indeed unfortunate.... if he shows in workouts that he is fully recovered, then he should get a handsome payday somewhere in the league


C:
Zach Frazier ---- the rookie came in and after a faux competition in camp, followed by an injury to Nate Herbig, stepped into the starting spot and never looked back... Holds up well against the pass and is a bull in the run game.. Frazier plays with a mean streak and his wrestling background serves him quite well... Frazier looks to continue to line of great C play that we've become accustomed to, and there is no reason to believe that he won't...
We hit a home run on this pick

Ryan McCollum ---- Languished for a few seasons on the practice squad, but when Herbig went down, was thrust into the backup spot..... he started for an injured Frazier and his play was admirable... I am more than comfortable with him as our backup



Overview:
The inside of the line looks more than solid, although depth is needed, while the outside will have question marks as well as depth issues... it will be a makenor break yr for Broderick Jones, while Troy Fautanu will try to show that his injury concerns are behind him



Next up: D-line

 

Both trenches need to be upgraded with better talent. OL and DL are sub par. McCormick might improve in 2025... and Frazier is the only lineman on OL that is an above average legit starter. DL needs complete overhaul. Benton and Heyward were disappointments in the month of December against Super Bowl caliber O lines.

 

McCormick struggled in pass protection in the second half of the season, Seumalo will be a year older after struggling this season. But I agree no high draft picks on a guard.

 

I think the 'rookie wall' is a real thing. I also think we saw our young guys on the OL hit that wall late in the season. I'm a believer in the year 3 rule. Give a rookie 3 seasons to find his role. If he still doesn't have one, move on.

 

If the right player is available in either Rounds 2 to 3, don't be shocked if that position is the pick. The Center position isn't as vulnerable as some may think and the overall talent in IOL is going under the radar; doubly so at the top. I do agree that addressing the Guard position is going to be an underrated need heading into the Draft as I also don't expect James Daniels to return this season and Spencer Anderson is depth only.


Frazier and McCormick are, more or less, the only long term starters on the interior. Isaac has one more season in him but that is it imo.

 

We talkin' about Spence?! Technically speaking, it would be better to have had Mason McCormick play Left Guard (that was his home for over 50 games at South Dakota State) and have Spence occupy the Right Guard position given that was the position he was tasked to focus on the most. Spencer looked much improved during the first two games of the preseason but hasn't looked that good since. Regarding your comment about the Rookie Wall, I wholeheartedly agree.



First half of season Zach Frazier and second half season Zach Frazier looked a lot different. This goes doubly for Mason McCormick. However, people tend to forget that these Rookies have a lot more than just learning an NFL Playbook and going through the combine. School, College Games, Senior Bowl (for some), training for the NFL Combine, training for the Pro Day (if need be), training leading up to the draft, training some more until Rookie Minicamp arrives and a continual cycle that leads into their Rookie Season is an insane level of preparation for the job that is an NFL Pro.


Very few Rookies ever avoid it; much less Rookie Offensive Lineman. The last Rookie Offensive Lineman that avoided that completely was Quenton Nelson's 2018 Campaign. Dude never took plays off. As far as Rookie Offensive Tackles?! RaShawn Slater circa 2021. Those two are, more or less, the best Rookie Offensive Lineman to play an entire season without any drop off within the past decade.

 

I’ll sum it up. The O-Line play was below the line.
These excuses for possible injuries are weak. If you’re on the field you need to perform or the coach needs to be smart enough to get someone else out there.
Every year we’re making excuses because guys were supposedly injured. Next year be better, but it never is.

 

watching the all 22 videos, many are making mccorrmick out to be much more than he really was. there is a lot of work to do with him. a lot. frazier was pretty good. beside's that any of them could be upgraded if we are taking any kind of step forward. including the coach. i don't dislike meyer as much as many but we need to give him better talent to work with. this o-line has been and continues to be a problem area. without them, the rest of the offense will struggle no matter what skill players people want to add. they will make the skill players better not the skill players making the line better.

 

i do want to add that i think they should re-sign max scharping and dylan cook. could keep them from having to draft high for possible starters immediately.

 

Given what's on the roster, what other options would you have considered to replace an ineffective starter

 

Based on what?

 

WAIT. WE HAD AN OLINE?

Really thought I would open an empty page.


Honestly, Love all your post

 

Depending on the injury of course. Even though they’re a back up, they should be better than a guy playing on one leg or with one arm?