Sometimes, football teams will hit home runs. No, it’s not a charity softball game developed by one of their star players against the Savannah Bananas.
The Arizona Cardinals signed OG Isaac Seumalo, age 32, of the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the opening day of free agency. That, my friends, is a home run. On a list compiled by The Athletic of the 150 best NFL free agents available this year, Seumalo was ranked the #1 offensive guard despite being on the wrong side of 30.
RELATED: CARDINALS FREE AGENCY
TRACKER
Seumalo (6’-4”, 303 pounds) will transform this offensive line immediately. Now. He will set the standard in training camp and into Week 1.
Newly-minted head coach Mike LaFleur is an offensive guy. You can’t have a great offense with a mediocre offensive line. You just can’t. It’s not even remotely possible. The O-Line has to be reliable, consistent, and ranked in the Top-10, which is where the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive line was annually ranked when LaFleur was on their staff.
He learned from that. Now, the transformation commences. Hurray for Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort. Good job, good effort.
Okay, so Arizona signed Seumalo. The next question is: who is he? What does he offer the Cardinals? Is he one of the answers for this stagnant offense?
Beginnings
Seumalo (pronounced say-uh-MAH-low) was born in Hawai’i but grew up in Corvallis, Oregon. He is of Polynesian descent. He was always bigger than most kids his age and got into football and basketball. He is one of five siblings. At Corvallis High School, he was 6’-3” and weighed a beefy 270 pounds.
His father, Joe, played in NFL Europe and has been a football coach for most of Seumalo’s life and is currently the defensive tackles coach at Oregon State. His brother Andrew played DT for Oregon State (2009-2012) and was the team captain, and his sister Jessi played for the OSU volleyball squad (2015-2016). She is currently the Player Personnel Coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers.
Seumalo was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and ranked the #1 college prospect in Oregon and the #3 offensive guard in the nation. He played quite a bit along the defensive line as well, but was recruited as an offensive lineman. As a senior, he had 54 tackles and nine sacks.
He was an ESPN All-American and an Under Armour All-American. He was a Tacoma News Tribune Western 100 member and was invited to play in the Under Armour High School All-Star game. He was named First Team All-5A State in both his junior and senior years for both offense and defense, a very rare occurrence.
He had offers from USC, Oregon State, Stanford, and Oregon. He chose to play where his brother was playing, and his father coached: Oregon State.
As a freshman at Oregon State, Seumalo was slotted at center on the first day of fall camp and started all 13 games. He was named Honorable Mention All-Pac 12, listed in the Top-10 Freshman Players by Athlon Sports, and made Freshman All-American.
During his sophomore year, he started 12 games, two at right tackle and the balance at center. Seumalo was voted Second Team All-Pac 12 and Pac-12 All-Academic Team. However, in the Hawai’i Bowl, he suffered a knee injury, which cancelled out his junior season due to rehab. It was the first real injury he had ever endured at any level.
In his final year, he started all 12 games, three at left tackle and nine at right guard. He was named Honorable Mention All-Pac 12, Pac-12 All-Academic Team, and had been on the watch list for both the Outland and Lombardi awards.
In all, he had played in 37 games at the following positions: center (23), right guard (9), left tackle (3), and right tackle (2).
Seumalo’s scouting report on NFL.com:
- Strengths
Quick feet and plays with above-average lateral movement. Well-schooled with a technician’s understanding of footwork and angles to secure reach blocks and wall defenders out of the running lane. Patient blocker waiting for his feet to settle into place before engaging. Operates with a centered, sure base and reliable core strength. Has experience at center, right guard, and both tackle spots. Unselfish and does what is asked of him. Pass sets look like a tackle’s with desired knee bend, flat back, and arm extension.
- Weaknesses
The frame could use more mass. Base narrows as a drive blocker, causing occasional bouts with body control and balance. Doesn’t appear to have punch-and-snatch hands. Looks like he’s got the block secured and then loses grip and allows his defender into the play. Defender’s hands often first go into the framework. Hands need to work faster. Missed 2014 due to complications from an injury suffered in the 2013 Hawaii Bowl.
On to the NFL
Seumalo was selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. As a rookie, he started the first 14 games and then was replaced. The Eagles won the Super Bowl that year. In that game, Seumalo played on 10 offensive plays and six special teams snaps.
By his fourth year, he was again starting and played in all 16 games. He also signed a three-year extension. In 2020, he suffered another knee injury, but it wasn’t that serious. He was able to play in nine games. The following year, in Week 4, he was placed on IR after a Lisfranc injury. Seumalo then played in all 17 games in his contract year of 2022.
He went into free agency and inked a three-year $24 million deal with the Steelers, who were having major issues at the guard position. His Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade in his first season in Pittsburgh was 71.9, where he committed one penalty all year. In 2024, he made the Pro Bowl.
LINK: FREE AGENCY TRACKER ISAAC SEUMALO
Seumalo played in 14 games this past season and played on 769 offensive snaps (92%) all at left guard. This is a guy who has played in 81 NFL games with 60 career starts.
His 2025 PFF grade was 74.8 with a pass blocking ranking of 78.5. He had zero penalties, allowed just three sacks and 15 pressures.
He was at the top of the list for a lot of NFL clubs going into free agency, such as the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, and Buffalo Bills. He is a guy who has plenty of experience and has a proven history of good production. He isn’t a long-term solution, but will hold down the fort for his three-year deal. The coaching staff loves this guy, and Ossenfort really went out to nail him down to a deal.
He started 44 games for the Steelers over his three years.
Seumalo offers consistency and versatility as he has proven to be one of the more consistent players in the league. Get this: he has allowed just three or fewer sacks since 2022. He is a wily veteran who will continuously play beyond the level expected of him.
There will be plenty of sibling rivalry now that Seumalo is in the same division as his sister.
Seumalo is married to Ah-fee, and the couple has children. He does not have any social media accounts; however, his wife’s Instagram is @bellamarra.realtor.
