Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has not been quiet in proclaiming his opposition to the team selecting Oklahoma State product Mason Rudolph in the third round of last week’s NFL Draft.
Shortly after pretty much throwing Pittsburgh under the bus for said pick, Roethlisberger just expanded on his thoughts. And in reality, it will likely create quite the stir within the organization.
“So, I was surprised when they took a quarterback, because I thought that maybe in the third round, you can get some really good football players that can help this team now,” Big Ben said Friday on KDKA’s Cook and Poni show in Pittsburgh. “And nothing against Mason, I think he’s a great football player … I just don’t know how backing up or being the third guy, who knows where he’s going to fall on the depth chart, but helps us win now.”
It’s interesting that Roethlisberger would show surprise with the pick. He had in the past noted that the Steelers had to find an eventual heir apparent to him. The only thing that’s changed since is Big Ben’s decision to extend his career a few more seasons.
Pittsburgh can’t sit back and wait for Roethlisberger to retire in order to find an eventual replacement. That makes no sense. Considered by some to be a late first-round prospect, the Steelers received tremendous value in picking up Rudolph on Day 2. For that, Big Ben should be excited.