Former Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph has not been among the quarterbacks bandied about as a potential first-round pick in next month’s draft. In fact, the pre-draft process has been pretty darn quiet for the strong-armed signal caller.
Until now. According to this one report, several teams are eyeing Rudolph as a potential late first-round or early second-round pick should he become available.
https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/977256820808003584
The report goes on to specifically mention the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants as possibilities. Of those teams, only the Jaguars boast a late first-round pick. Both Arizona and New York would have to trade up in order to secure Rudolph late in the first round.
As we saw with Teddy Bridgewater a few years back, trading up to the bottom of the first round for a quarterback makes a ton of sense. It gives teams a fifth-year option on the rookie deal. If said player were selected outside the first round, he’d be limited to a four-year contract.
According to NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah, Rudolph is not among the top-50 prospects in the coming draft. Given that Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield could all go on the top 10, that matters very little. Quarterback-needy teams might very well be forced to reach for a player at this position.
A three-year starter in Stillwater, Rudolph concluded his Oklahoma State career having passed for 13,618 yards with 92 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.
