Steelers’ young offensive line has much to prove according to PFF
As the 2025 NFL offseason progresses into the summer months, there will constantly be a barrage of lists and rankings from various outlets. While some fans will have preferred places where they look for particular rankings, others will just avoid the information altogether.
After previously reporting on the members of the Pittsburgh Steelers who landed in the top 32 players at various positions according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), now it is time to look at several position groups as a whole and where they rank across the NFL. I know there are many who like to criticize PFF rankings, with me being one of them, it doesn’t mean that their information is always incorrect. While they used rankings for some of their reasoning when looking at players within the position groups, team scores from 2024 were not their ultimate deciding factor and instead it was the opinion of the various authors depending on which position group was being covered.
Whenever I cover various things from PFF, I often give the disclaimer reminding people that their grades are merely an opinion. One thing PFF should be commended on is that they collect an immense amount of data, particularly looking at each player on every snap, in order to form their opinion. But more data doesn’t automatically deliver a correct opinion. Regardless, it is still a great point of discussion to see where the Pittsburgh Steelers rank and the various positional groups.
Next up, let’s look at PFF’s rankings of all offensive line groups where the Steelers, like the rest of the AFC North, are towards the bottom.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers
One of the NFL’s youngest offensive lines will be protecting one of the NFL’s oldest starting quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers. Three starters are entering year two, while left tackle Broderick Jones will play his third NFL season.
Center Zach Frazier has already proven himself in the NFL, ranking fifth among all centers in 2024 with a 77.9 PFF overall grade, but the other young players will need to step up in 2025.
Despite Zach Frazier being ranked the third best center going into the season, the Steelers certainly have some unanswered questions on the offensive line. While things could go very well, there’s also the potential for disaster.
As PFF stated, three of the Steelers expected starters are only entering their second season as they were all 2024 draft picks. With another expected starter being the Steelers first round pick from 2023, Broderick Jones is also switching back to the left side where he has only played one game in his NFL career while logging 28, including the postseason, on the right side. Isaac Seumalo is the only veteran and is coming off of a Pro Bowl season, but how much he has left in the tank is debatable as 2024 seemed to be a step down. For all these reasons, it’s understandable that the Steelers offensive line would be ranked in the 20s.
One thing that the Steelers do have going for them is the fact that they are so young. Although it’s tough to be confident in the Steelers being a quality unit, there is also enormous room for growth based on age. For this reason, the most likely direction at the Steelers offensive line would be moving is up.
When looking at the rest of the AFC North, none of the teams ranked in the top half of the NFL. The top offensive line group was the Baltimore Ravens at 17 with the Steelers being the second highest ranked team. The Cleveland Browns were the next unit ranked 27th with their biggest concern being the majority of their line being on the wrong side of 30. The Cincinnati Bengals landed 31st on the list as their offensive line struggled in 2024 and they ultimately did not do much to improve their situation. So not only are the Steelers sitting at a decent spot in the division, their potential is so much more than their division foes.
Other position groups covered:
Sharp has Pgh 26th, Ravens 8th (!), Browns 22nd, and Bengals 31st.
This seems more accurate to me.
a true Pittsburgh Steelers fan, since the 70’s the young Steelers offensive line is young and needs to stay healthy and work together
I’ll take it. I’m surprised they’re not lower.
I am not surprised. McCormick did not grade well in 2024 with PFF, and I don’t believe Jones did either. One thing we need to stop saying is that Jones is switching back to left tackle. He has not been a left tackle in the NFL. I think we all hope that jones can play LT but it is not a certainty. Hopefully playing him next to Seumalo will help him be better at getting his assignment correct. I really think that behind Rodgers Jones is the key to the performance of this offense.