Ever since Mason Rudolph was a boy, he was thinking of hearing his name called by commissioner Roger Goodell from the stand on the first night of the NFL draft. It is the first round. It's where the young quarterbacks want to be recruited. Now, just days before this year's draft, the former Oklahoma State quarterback has not stopped thinking about being a first-round draft pick. But he understands that the turn where he is elected is simply beyond his control. After months of interviews, meetings, coaching, passes and private sessions, Rudolph feels he has done enough - from his collegiate career to the Senior Bowl to the Combined and meetings with teams - to hear his name called on Thursday. at night. "I think the straw is in the barn, it's what I feel," Rudolph told ESPN. "We'll see what happens." Of course we will.
Depending on how the first half of the first round is accommodated, Rudolph may be an option for the Arizona Cardinals at No. 15. Play a position where you take a risk so early in the order of selections on a player that not all unanimously agree that it is first-round talent is not unreasonable. In case five or six quarterbacks are chosen before being called to select, the Cardinals could be in a situation where if they do not take Rudolph at No. 15, they might not find another quarterback until the next round or two. And if Rudolph ends up in Arizona, he would be right where he belongs.Get your VIP bet freak daily odds.
Over the past four months, this year's batch of quarterbacks has been divided into two groups: Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield, and the rest. But Rudolph does not necessarily believe he is part of that "rest" category. He sees himself "right there at the level of the other four types." He said he does not care about the other quarterbacks, nor how his selections can impact his. He only worries himself and his destiny. "I look like a first-round quarterback," he said. "I can arrive and start for any organization [from] the first day, and be successful and win games, it's not in my control, obviously, I can only prepare myself to the top of my skills and make sure I keep moving forward." Not everyone agrees with Rudolph, however. But the feeling about Rudolph around the NFL is not fully defined. It is firmly planted in the gray area between a sure first-round draft and not being taken in the first round. According to most standards, it fits the first-round draft model. he measures 6 feet with 4 and a half inches, and weighs 235 pounds. He is known for his power in the arm, and an NFC executive described his deep passes as "impressive", and his arm as "turned on." He has shown to be strong in his pocket, planted and ready to receive the blow in order to complete a pass.
But in one statement, the same executive, who evaluated this year's batch of quarterbacks, showed the complexity of qualifying Rudolph. "I never thought it was a first-round talent," said the executive. "For me, if he goes in the first round, that's purely based on need and trying to convince them that he's a first-round quarterback, although I imagine him as a capable starter at some point." Even ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper can not decipher Rudolph. "He's an interesting guy," Kiper said. "It's hard to imagine what kind of a passer he will be in the NFL. "I look at Mason Rudolph [and I wonder] if he has 'that.' He's a tough guy, some will see him as a first-round quarterback and others will say, 'Hey, second or third round.' There will be mixed opinions about Mason Rudolph. , but there's a lot to like. " Should Rudolph remain available once the first round begins its last third, his path to being a first-round draft might reach into the hands of a team that projects him as his future, thanks to the fact that first-round recruits arrive with options to the fifth year of contract. "Even if you think he's a second- or third-round passer, it's almost worth playing at that point because if you think he has some potential, he's averaging less than $ 2 million a year, so who am I? - Do you care? ", explained an agent. "If it turns out to be half of something, you have it for five years and you have it ... without money, so that's more true with quarterbacks than in other positions." Another agent believes that Rudolph being chosen at the end of the first round is the best thing that could happen to him because it probably means that he will be able to play behind an experienced veteran.