2018 NFL Draft, quarterback stock report: Sam Darnold on the rise

Mason Rudolph has struggled very little with the likes of Tulsa, South Alabama, and Pittsburgh to start the season.

No surprise there.

His latest game featured five touchdown passes and one interception, his first of the young season. Rudolph typically does a very good job of protecting himself and preventing against turnovers, but a Pitt defensive back got him on a throw late in the game this past weekend.

There is obviously a lot to like about Rudolph. You don’t put up the kind of numbers he has over the last few seasons without being a smart football player.

With that being said, there are certainly reasons to pump the brakes a little bit, and we saw a little bit of that in this game.

There are times when Rudolph puts too much air underneath the football, and his receivers have to consistently work back to the ball when they are deep downfield. He has been bailed out on some underthrown balls by some really good receivers. Some of his touchdown numbers have also been inflated by his receivers gaining YAC and for some reason, the slant route is never covered against Oklahoma State.

At least that’s the way it seems.

But evaluating Rudolph by what we have seen, there is a lot to like. The question — like with many coming from a pass-happy spread offense — is whether or not Rudolph will translate quick enough to the next level and the rigors of an NFL playbook.