On Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers have their first day of 2025 rookie minicamp, which is a three-day event for the Black and Gold. Along with the 15 new rookies that have been given a shot to make the team, the Steelers also invited an additional 25 players, some of which went undrafted. This is a great time for unproven players to make a name for themselves or to show Mike Tomlin and the rest of the staff that they're worthy of earning a roster spot.
The Steelers, in recent years, since Omar Khan has stepped in as the general manager, have highly focused on developing the offensive line. Pittsburgh's 2025 starting front, if all remain healthy, will consist of Zach Frazier, Troy Fautanu, Broderick Jones, Mason McCormick, and Isaac Seumalo. Khan is responsible for drafting four of those five linemen during the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts. The 2025 NFL Draft was the first for Khan where he didn't draft a single offensive lineman, shifting his focus to the defensive side of the line.
While some of Pittsburgh's young and developing blockers have faced some adversity, there's a ton of promise within the group. Jones went from having a stunning rookie season in 2023 to hitting some big bumps in the road in 2024, along with Fautanu missing essentially his entire rookie season last year due to injury. The strongest piece of the group last season was Frazier, who was arguably the best rookie center in the NFL. The Steel City has high hopes that Frazier will be the franchise's center for years upon years, but the Steelers still need a backup at the position.
Currently, the Steelers have Ryan McCollum as Frazier's backup center. McCollum started two games last year when Frazier was inactive for a couple of weeks midway through the season. McCollum was solid when given an opportunity, but Thomas Perry could bring serious competition to the table.
Perry, who unfortunately went undrafted this year, played guard during his college years at Middlebury, but is reportedly planning on making a switch to center in the NFL. According to NFL.com, Perry's best strengths surround his aggression, his reactive quickness, and his finish mentality that coaches love. Frazier also seems to resemble a mentality that football coaches strongly admire.
Perry was a four-year starter for Middlebury. This past season, Perry was a Walter Camp Division III All-American and an AFCA First Team All-American. The Steelers could use his size for depth on their roster. Perry is listed at over 300 pounds and six-foot-three.
Steelers Could Use Additional Depth At Both Center And Guard Positions
While there are no worries about the production Frazier will have at center this season, there are some slight concerns about the offensive guards. Seumalo will become a free agent after 2025, and while McCormick had a solid rookie season, it's possible he faces some issues in his second year like Jones did.
If the Steelers want to run the ball effectively and consistently in 2025, then they'll need the guys up front, whether they are starters or backups, to have quality production. With Pittsburgh electing to not draft an offensive lineman in 2025, any additional pieces will have to come through tryouts like in rookie minicamp.
