2018 Draft: Could Mason Rudolph Be a Top 3 Pick?

If you paid attention to last week’s NFL Draft — or any in recent memory — you saw the huge premium teams are willing to pay just for a shot at landing their next franchise QB. As Mike Gundy is apt to say, “if your quarterback can make plays and be effective, you have a lot better chance of being more than average.” Or something along those lines.

The buzz surrounding Oklahoma State’s franchise QB is only going to increase the closer we get to September. Earlier this week, we looked at some pretty lofty expectations already in place for Mason Rudolph and his No. 1 receiver, James Washington.

Now Pro Football Focus has come out with their own “way-too-early” mock draft for 2018. They have Rudolph going No. 3 to the San Francisco 49ers.

That makes Rudolph the No. 2 quarterback prospect according to PFF, behind USC’s 2016 savior Sam Darnold. James Washington also lands at No. 22 in their mock draft.

Here’s what they had to say about OSU’s Heisman candidate.

Rudolph is often overlooked when citing the best quarterbacks in the class of 2018, but he has the best resume of the bunch after finishing eighth in the nation with an 86.7 grade in 2015 and second with a 92.7 grade last season. Rudolph still has some consistency issues to iron out, but he throws the ball very accurately outside the numbers and he’s handled pressure extremely well over the last two seasons. The 49ers exhibited patience with the quarterback class in 2017, but they can get their future signal-caller a year from now. PFF

It’s hard to understand exactly what it is about Rudolph that allows him to be so overlooked. Maybe it’s his reserved demeanor or his team’s lack of a Big 12 title during his tenure. Or his playing a perceived second fiddle to the flashy and boisterous signal caller from down south.

Regardless of what has kept him a secret until now, the cat’s out of the bag. If Rudolph puts up the numbers we expect and OSU has even a decent season, he won’t be playing second fiddle to anyone from around these parts on draft night.