Impending Steelers camp battle: Mason Rudolph vs. Dwayne Haskins

While neither are particularly mobile, Haskins has an edge over Mason Rudolph with his legs.

In a good old fashioned foot race, Mason Rudolph would probably outrun Dwayne Haskins. However, if you look up highlights of both Rudolph and Haskins I want you to look at how these two operate in the pocket. Neither of these players are going to break off a bunch of 20 or 30 yard runs in the future. Yet, Haskins is significantly better at navigating the pocket and avoiding pressure than Mason Rudolph. The key to it is their footwork. Haskins has quicker feet than Rudolph without question.

The best comparison would be to compare a guy like Chase Claypool to a guy like Diontae Johnson. Claypool is undoubtedly faster in a straight line, yet Diontae Johnson has quicker feet. Johnson is more apt to change direction while Claypool is more apt to outrun defenders. While I’m not going to go as far as saying Haskins is mobile, his ability to move his feet as quickly as he does, to avoid pressure, and get set for a throw is much better than that of Rudolph’s. As they are both more “pro-style” quarterbacks being able to navigate the pocket efficiently and quickly is a huge advantage, considering that the Steelers’ offensive line is the weakest position group on the roster at this time.

I’m not going to make it sound like we have the worst offensive line in the league, Washington’s was way worse. Pittsburgh still maintained decent pass protection which looked better due to all of the quick throws Ben was making. There are going to be moving parts and changes to this line, and that will result in some inconsistencies in forming a pocket to throw from throughout 2021, yet I believe Haskins will be able to avoid the pressure caused by opposing defenses a bit better than Rudolph has shown between 2019 and his lone start in 2020.