SAN JOSE, Calif. – The posts occasionally showed up on the social sites, videos of Abe Lucas, moving tons of iron.

A huge man, dripping sweat. A solitary weight room. Black and white images, like a laborer in a steampunk factory back in the Industrial Revolution.

He was in the lonely, painful process of remaking himself, rehabbing from the injuries that stole 21 games from him the last two seasons.

You could imagine the quiet broken only by the clanking of iron and his panting and groaning.

Lucas did not look happy. But he seems pretty much finely focused on business anyway.

Unseen. Hard at work, Lucas was in that private place where careers are made or extended or, in his case, revived.

Pain? Oh, yeah.

Worth it? Well, after starting all 19 games this season at right tackle for the Seahawks, he’s a key blocker on the Seattle offense taking on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60 on Sunday.

A number of his interviews over the past two seasons have started with “How’s the rehab going?”

Pretty nice to not have to go over that again?

“You’re telling me,” he said Wednesday.

But if it becomes a part of your career, you better get good at it.

“There was a plan and I followed the plan … just a lot of work, honestly, and having patience. And it hurt a lot; it was really painful.”

But productive. He’s now looking and moving as he did during a full season as a very promising rookie in 2022.

At 6-6, 322, Lucas has more lean mass than most NFL linemen. And very imposing, even by NFL standards.

An unwritten rule of thumb for NFL scouts: You want a right tackle who looks like he could be one of those intimidating Game of Thrones combatants dressed in animal pelts.

“He’s big as a house,” line coach John Benton said. “Great attitude, comes to work every day. He’s really become a top performer for us.”

Benton, who has spent 19 years as a line coach in the NFL, is increasingly more impressed with Lucas’ preparation.

“He’s very tough mentally,’’ Benton said. “He is rock solid on game day. He does a great job. He gets better every game, and gets better as the game goes on because he’s so well prepared and he can adapt as the game develops.”

As Lucas moved through Washington State as a four-year starter, he came upon an important realization: “Just relying on your ability was not always going to work. It works for a few select individuals, maybe, but I’m not one of those.”

What does he study when preparing to go against a Bosa or a Verse?

“For me, it’s about understanding the game plan,” he said. “The type of rusher I’m facing, the type of team we’re going up against. What are their styles? What are their tells? Their giveaways? Just to give yourself an edge.”

First-round rookie guard Grey Zabel said he’s “learned more in the classroom and facility from Abe than I’ve learned from anybody in our organization.”

The lessons?

“One, his work ethic is unbelievable,” Zabel said. “Abe really showed me what it’s going to take to play in the NFL for years and years. His rehab process, his training, his diet. You look at Abe, and he’s chiseled, and he weighs 320 pounds. He’s a great dude and his study habits are one-of-one.”

When Benton says he’s impressed with Lucas’ progress, it’s over a long span.

“I coached him in the Senior Bowl,” Benton said, recalling that Lucas was a product of the Mike Leach Air Raid offense, which features tackles playing out of wide splits and two-point stances – not conducive to a quick transition to NFL run- and pass-blocking.

“I’m an old-school guy, and I asked how many of the (college) players had never been in a three-point stance. Abe was one of the guys who raised his hand. Not that I’m against that type of college scheme, but the transition to a run-heavy offense is hard.”

Wearing a neck-roll protection under his jersey, Lucas looks even more menacing this season.

He doesn’t need to appear aggressive, though, it’s just how he plays.

On one play in the game against New Orleans, a tight end caught a short pass and defenders had him stood up as he fought for extra yards. Seemingly out of nowhere, Lucas came charging downfield and blasted the pile forward a couple yards. A moment later, the rest of the offensive line joined in, and pushed the scrum another 5 yards toward the end zone.

Benton was asked specifically about that play.

“Oh, we made a huge deal out of that,” he said.

Lucas’ play and his durability earned him a three-year, $46 million contract extension.

Asked about his level of satisfaction with his play, he said it was actually what he expected of himself.

“The goal is to play as much as you can,” he said. “You can’t control injuries. That whole thing, ‘You can’t stay healthy,’ is a dumb argument, doesn’t make sense. That stuff just sort of happens. I’m happy with the output this year …

“… just need to go get one more.”