PFB Roundtable: Projecting #Rudolph2Washington in the NFL

The staff at Pittsburghs Pistols Firing Blog got together to talk about the crazy, coincidental and historic drafting of OSU’s leading passer and receiver in consecutive picks by the same team.

We made predictions, discussed the fit for each and decided Landry Jones’ fate as Big Ben’s backup. Hope you enjoy.

Kyle Cox: Your thoughts on Rudolph slipping to the mid-third round with QBs 1-5 going on Day 1.

Phillip Slavin: I was a little surprised he fell out of the second round, but considering Pittsburgh is the team that grabbed him, it makes sense they valued the need of Washington over the want of Rudolph. Five QBs in the first round was a little crazy, but every one that went before Rudolph was projected by most to go before him.

Cox: I was surprised. I thought there would be a little more of a QB frenzy than there was in the top half of the first round. Probably correct as a 2-3 round pick all things considered, but I expected him to go higher.

Luke Garza: I wasn’t too surprised to see Rudolph slip that far. I thought he would have been picked earlier, though. I think it’s beneficial for him to not have as high of expectations; If he had been picked earlier, like in the first round, he might be expected to contribute sooner.

Kyle Porter: I don’t really have a problem with Rudolph specifically slipping. I think Rudolph’s struggles are pretty well-documented. My bigger issue than Rudolph slipping is guys like Josh Allen going so high. Does anyone actually think Josh Allen is going to be good in the NFL, or is that just a “welp, his arm is big and maybe this will work” prayer?

Cox: How do you like the fit of both Rudolph and Washington in Pittsburgh.

Slavin: Washington should be a great fit. I think he still has some things to learn, but being the third option on a good team instead of the first on a bad one will allow him the opportunity to continue to grow.

I like the fit for Rudolph, but don’t love it. I still think he would have been better off in LA (Chargers) or New Orleans (Saints) where he wouldn’t have to deal with the weather. But he now gets to sit behind a Hall of Famer and learn. Plus, with the number of weapons that team has, if he does get the opportunity to start, he won’t have to do it all on his own.

Cox: I don’t know if there was a much better fit for them as a duo and not many else would be as good for each as individuals. I had Pittsburgh as favorite landing spots for each.

Garza: I think both are great fits. The Steelers got rid of their deep threat, Martavis Bryant, and replaced him with another home-run hitter in James Washington. Rudolph is similarly sized to Roethlisberger and will have a couple of years to develop. The fact that they get to go through this together is icing on the cake.

Porter: Love. There are snippets of both you can see in their current guys. It’s an easy comp, but Antonio Brown is a small, physical receiver like Washington, and Big Ben is difficult to bring down, much like Rudolph (who I think has some room to get even bigger).

Cox: It’s too hard to predict numbers at this point, but describe a successful rookie campaign for James Washington as a Steeler.

Slavin: Last season, Martavis Bryant had 50 catches for 603 yards and 3 touchdowns. Since Washington was essentially drafted to fill his role, It’d say anything close to that would be great. At worst 40 catches for 500 yards and 3 TDs would be a great season and quiet any naysayers.

Cox: I think a role in the offense should be expected. The success of JuJu Smith-Schuster in the slot as a rookie last year is encouraging but should probably be looked at as a ceiling and not the expectation for Washington in Year 1, realistically.

Garza: In his rookie season, I think 40+ catches and 650+ yards would be a successful rookie season. I know that’s not setting the bar very high, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in Pittsburgh’s offense.

Porter: JuJu had 58 for 917 and 7 as a rook last year. Washington even approaching that would be crazy. WR3 for the Steelers last year had 50 for 600 and 3. I think Washington hitting 40 for 500 and 5 would be tasty.

Cox: What is your prediction for Rudolph when it comes to Pittsburgh’s QB pecking by the end of this season? (Pre-draft it was 1. Big Ben 2. Landry Jones 3. Joshua Dobbs).

Slavin: End of the 2018/2019 season? He should be the No. 2 guy. Going into the season? 3rd string. I think the goal for Pittsburgh is to let Landry walk at the end of the year. This year though, they’d be better off keeping him as the back-up in case of emergency.

Cox: I think Rudolph should definitely expect to be No. 3 behind Landry Jones. Whether or not they hold onto all four is still not certain. Dobbs may not even be on the roster at the beginning of the season. Pittsburgh OC Randy Fichnter alluded to the fact that it’s hard to keep four QBs and the Steelers have shown they aren’t afraid to turn away from a fourth-round pick after one year. (See CB Doran Grant in 2015.)

As for the end of this season, I think Rudolph is expected to take on the No. 2 role. Landry Jones is in a contract year and I’m sure Pittsburgh brass selected Rudolph with that in mind.

Garza: At the end of the season I think it’ll be
1. Big Ben
2. Rudolph
3. Dobbs

I don’t think Dobbs is in the Steelers’ future plans. If he was, they wouldn’t have spent a third-round pick on Rudolph. Jones’ contract is up after this season, and I don’t expect them to resign him.

Porter: I’ll say he’s QB2, though it could be tight. Landry has actually been kinda good recently. Also, Ben hasn’t started all 16 games since 2014. I bet Rudolph or Landry gets a start or two before the season is over. Hopefully we get a little of this in practice from Landry.