This is something that we didn’t expect. Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger praised the team’s rookie QB Mason Rudolph for his showings in the preseason debut against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Threw some really good footballs. The moment wasn’t too big for him,” – said Roethlisberger of the Rudolph. “I think he had fun and enjoyed it.“
Mason Rudolph, who was drafted in the third round out of Oklahoma State, completed 7 out of 12 passes for 101 yards against the Eagles.
“We had some good drives, we just kind of stalled and had a few miscommunications,” – said Rudolph after the game. “I’m looking forward to getting back to practice today and ironing out the mistakes and looking forward to Green Bay.”
The reason Ben Roethlisberger’s comments came as a surprise is the fact that he wasn’t too happy when Steelers drafted Rudolph back in April. Roethlisberger said at the time that he was surprised the team took another quarterback and that there were good players in the third round who could help the team now. He was even hesitant about the possibility to mentor the young rookie, although he said his comments about Rudolph were taken out of context.
Mason Rudolph played four years at Oklahoma State, during which he passed for 13,267 yards and 90 touchdowns. In 2018 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers’ traded up to get him, later explaining that they valued Rudolph the same as some of the quarterbacks who were selected in the top 10.
