After a great week one in preseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers people have to wonder what will happen with Mason Rudolph. Many sources say the Steelers had a first round grade on Mason Rudolph. You can find one of those sources here. Other sources are saying Mason could be headed to the motor city, that source can be found here. Lets see where he ranks against other quarterbacks also selected in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Overall record
Mason Rudolph Overall record 5-4-1
Rudolph does not have a great overall record. There is context to this situation however. From day 1 Mason came in behind future HOF quarterback Ben Roethlisberger holding onto the number one spot. There was never a chance that he could out gun sling Roethlisberger and take the job. Additionally if you look at the team around him in each of his starts, the conditions were not great. One of the worst offensive lines in the league with aging guys like Pouncey, hardly any run game prior to Najee being drafted and wide receivers dropping or fumbling the ball in big moments.
The Steelers had high praise for Rudolph during the draft process. Per the referenced article above Kevin Colbert, now ex Steelers GM had a first round grade on him and believed he would be the next man up once Ben eventually retired. As of lately it does not feel like Mason will be the Steelers quarterback of the future. Even with high praise and a first round grade the team still made moves in the off-season signing Mitch Trubisky AND using a first round pick on Kenny Pickett.
Mason Rudolph Passing Stats
Mason Rudolph COMPLETION% 61.5 YARDS 2366 TD 16 INT 11 Y/A 6.2
Mason’s stats definitely don’t jump off the screen and say NFL starter. If you have watched his body of work in the limited games he played he has definitely showed some great things. He absolutely has an NFL caliber arm. He has shown flashes of great potential on multiple occasions. The pass he threw on Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks is the best pass I’ve ever seen from him. If you missed it click here.
Additionally, he is also a high character guy. Through everything from the situation with Myles Garrett, being benched for Duck Hodges and the Steelers bringing in two new signal callers Mason stays consistent. He stays out of his own way, he says all the right things and he’s a team player. The biggest knock in my opinion with Mason is he is a one read passer. Once the ball is snaped his eyes are glued to his first read and if it’s not there he takes the check down. He does not seem to be capable of extending the play like a Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett. With a shaky offensive line you’re going to face a lot of pressure and what separates good and great quarterbacks is what you do in those situations. Up to this point I have not seen Mason handle those scenarios well.
Conclusion On Mason Rudolph
As referenced above there is speculation the Steelers are in trade talks to send Mason to the Lions. If it happens it will be interesting to see what kind of return the team is able to receive. I think Mason could be a solid NFL starter in the right situation. At this point with Kenny Pickett getting first and second team reps it is time to give Mason the chance to go somewhere else. The Steelers should absolutely trade him as he seems to be the odd man out in the Steel City. He deserves a fresh start with a new team and the opportunity to compete for the starting job. If he does get traded to the Lions I think that would be a great situation for him.
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