The Pittsburgh Steelers once again looked to bolster their offensive line on the third and final day of the NFL Draft.
South Dakota State guard Mason McCormick was selected in the fourth round as the first of three picks made Saturday by the Steelers. In the sixth round, they took Iowa defensive tackle Logan Lee and Texas cornerback Ryan Watts.
McCormick was one of three offensive linemen added by the Steelers in the draft. They selected Washington tackle Troy Fautanu in the first round then went for West Virginia center Zack Frazier in the second round.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound McCormick played 70 games at South Dakota State, including making a school-record 57 consecutive starts at left guard. He was a four-team FCS All-American and a four-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection.
“He comes from a smaller school, but the kid is tough. He plays football the right way,” Steelers offensive line coach Pat Meyer said. “He wanted to be a Steeler, I know that just talking to him, working the kid out. We are excited to have him. We are going to have him penciled in at the guard position. He will come in and compete from day one.”
Lee can play any of the defensive line positions but started all 13 games at tackle last season for Iowa. The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder Lee made 55 tackles (19 solo), including 5 ½ tackles for loss and three sacks, while also adding three passes defensed, one quarterback pressure and one blocked kick.
During his four years with the Hawkeyes, Lee played 43 games, including 41 as a starter. He finished with 158 career tackles, including 58 solo stops, 18 1/2 tackles for loss, nine sacks and seven passes defensed.
Lee said he grew up as a Steelers’ fan.
“I am beyond blessed. I started really getting into the thick of the historical NFL stuff. I just loved the Steel Curtain era stuff. I loved watching Mel Blount slam people on their heads and stuff. I was always a big Steelers fan growing up.”
Watts, who is 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, played his final two college seasons after transferring following two seasons at Ohio State.
In 2023, Watts had 38 tackles (30 solo) last season in 11 games with three passes defensed and a tackle for a loss. He appeared in 19 games with Ohio State, including the 2020 CFP Championship Game where it lost to Alabama.
“I felt like I left a good impression on the (Steelers’ staff) when I met with them at the combine,” Watts said. “I was just trying to do my best to show them I was worth the pick at the combine, the pro day after that.”
The Steelers selected a total of eight players, including Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson and North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson in the third round.
