The Steelers are soon going to be in a position where they need a franchise quarterback. Here are four potential second-round prospects who would be better than Mason Rudolph.
There is no getting around the fact that Ben Roethlisberger is getting up there in age. The future Hall of Fame quarterback turns 38 years old this offseason and his coming off major elbow surgery. The Steelers will soon be in the process of looking for his successor, and there are several capable candidates in the draft this year.
I was not a big fan of Mason Rudolph coming out of Oklahoma State in 2018. Though he possessed an ideal NFL body and fantastic statistical production, his tape was really lacking. I saw a player with average arm talent and general, not pin-point, accuracy. In addition, almost all of Rudolph’s success came in rhythm and timing. If the play broke down or if he was forced to improvise, he really struggled. His immobility in the pocket limits his abilities to make big plays, and he will never scare anyone when on the move.
All of this factored into the third-round grade I gave Rudolph before the 2018 NFL Draft. Mike Tomlin has already declared Rudolph to be Ben’s backup for the 2020 season, but we have seen enough of him to know that he can’t get the job done when called upon.
There are a total of seven quarterback prospects that I will have higher grades on than Rudolph coming into the draft. While Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, and Justin Herbert will all be long gone, here are four prospects who could potentially slip into the second round that would be better than Rudolph for the Steelers: