Why you should be excited about third-round quarterback Mason Rudolph:
-At 6-foot-45/8 and 235 pounds, Rudolph has the prototypical NFL size for the position.
-He's coming off a senior season that saw Rudolph lead FBS schools with an Oklahoma State-record 4,904 passing yards and complete a career-high 65 percent of his passes with a career-high 37 touchdown passes.
-Rudolph's career numbers include 915 completions on 1,447 attempts (63.2 percent) for 13,618 yards, with 92 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.
-He became Oklahoma State's starter during his freshman season and started every game he played in but one through four seasons (41 of 42).
-NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock characterized Rudolph's arm as "good" but not "great," but added, "I think he might be the most accurate deep-ball thrower in the draft. He has an outstanding deep-ball touch."
-Mayock also said of Rudolph: "People love his knowledge of the game."
-Rudolph went 32-9 as a starter and is the winningest quarterback in Oklahoma State history.
-General Manager Kevin Colbert said the Steelers had Rudolph rated "with the group of the top quarterbacks," available in the draft. "To be able to get one of those guys in our situation; this kid was available at a very easy selection point, and that's a critical position."
-Rudolph said having to wait for a chance to start with Ben Roethlisberger still established as the Steelers' quarterback might prove advantageous in his development in the long run. "You may cut out a little of the growing pains, learn by watching and learn by learning without learning by mistakes," he said.
