CBS Sports Ranks Mason Rudolph as No. 5 QB in 2017 NFL Draft

It’s never too early to take a peak at what the scouts and pundits have to say about NFL prospects. Even if it isn’t until April, lists are already being made about where prospects may be slotted in the 2017 NFL draft. And as it stands now, CBS Sports thinks highly of Oklahoma State’s signal caller Mason Rudolph.

CBS Sports has him as the No. 5 QB to be taken off the board in next year’s draft, behind Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer, Brad Kaaya, and Chad Kelly.

One issue, however, is the place he is slotted. Although he is the No. 5 quarterback on the draft board for CBS, he is the No. 71 overall prospect, which would make him a mid-third round pick.

The other quarterbacks are considerably higher on the board and are all projected first rounders. Watson (No. 1), Kizer (No. 4), Kaaya (No. 16), and Kelly (No. 32), are all very good prospects considered by many to be the upper echelon.

Here’s what CBS Sports said about his strengths and weaknesses as a prospect:

A durable, well-built prospect, Rudolph fits the mold of a prototypical NFL pocket passer with his size and arm strength. He generates easy velocity with a simple stroke and understands trajectory and touch, delivering a very catchable ball for his receivers. Rudolph tosses an accurate deep ball, whether he is dropping the ball in the bucket or firing a strike on a downfield post. His production is inflated due to the Oklahoma State offense, but it also showcases his confidence to test deep routes and distribute the ball all over the field.

While his arm strength is above average, Rudolph needs to show better follow-through on his delivery and finish with his hips. In the Cowboys’ offense, he isn’t consistently asked to move from 1-to-2-to-3 in his progressions, often locking onto his initial target and staring through him with laser focus. Rudolph also needs to improve his anticipation to throw receivers open instead of waiting for them to come open before delivering the ball. He isn’t a poor athlete, but struggles to feel the pressure, shuffle his feet and reset as his tape doesn’t show many second–chance throws.

Even with Rudolph a third round pick, he appears to be in a second tier of quarterbacks if he were to put his name in the draft for next year. Not surprisingly, there’s a pretty big paycheck discrepancy between first and third round draft picks. It’s still very early to really speculate, but Rudolph, at least at this point in time, could make himself a lot of money if he were to return for a senior year to improve his draft stock. But that’s a decision he’ll likely make after the season, and I wouldn’t be too surprised to see him strapping up the orange and black for one more year if his stock doesn’t improve considerably throughout this season.

H/T @TravisB06052015/twitter