Rookie Check-In: What Rudolph’s Learned from Big Ben and Offseason Antics

We have reached that lull in the NFL’s offseason as teams break for their month-or-so summer vacation before the start of training camp at the end of July.

So let’s catch up with OSU’s rookies after their first round of NFL offseason workouts and as they prepare for the fall.

Rudolph Learning from Big Ben

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote about Rudolph’s chance to captain the offense at the end of minicamp, his TD on the final day and what he’s learned from Big Ben so far.

“Just Ben being here a couple of days in a row and seeing his operation of the offense, his knowledge of situations,” Rudolph said. “Giving guys reminders like, ‘In this situation, get the first down, get down and we’ll go run the play and kill the clock,’ or, ‘Hey, get out of bounds this one.’ Knowing when to use timeouts. You can tell he goes through it in his head a lot in preparation so he knows what to do in the situation.”

Roethlisberger also has helped Rudolph with ball placement and how to walk receivers through routes, the rookie said. “Even if it’s incomplete, he’ll teach the guy with the throw — this is where I’ll put the ball moving forward, so the next rep they are quick to learn,” Rudolph said. [ESPN]

Rudolph also added that he would be working out on his own this summer as well as bugging his new coaches with phone calls or texts to pick their brain as he prepares for training camp.

Marcell’s Outlook in Oakland

Ateman, who fell all the way to the seventh round after being projected as high as a late first round pick, finds himself in a deep wide receiver group and possibly with a daunting path to playing time, much less making the 53-man roster.

Here’s a look his prospects from a fantasy standpoint.

The Raiders selected rookie receiver Marcell Ateman in the seventh round of the NFL Draft from Oklahoma State, and he will compete for a reserve role in Oakland this year. The Raiders have a crowded receiving corps with Amari Cooper, Jordy Nelson, Martavis Bryant and Seth Roberts, and it will be hard for Ateman to get consistent targets as a rookie. In 2017 at Oklahoma State, Ateman had 59 catches for 1,156 yards and eight touchdowns. He could have increased Fantasy value in the future with Nelson (33) and Bryant (free agent in 2019) potentially gone after this year, so he’s worth a late-round flier in rookie-only drafts for dynasty leagues. But in seasonal drafts, Ateman should be ignored in all formats. [CBS Sports]

But an opportunity might soon arise in the form of a possible suspension. The Raiders added former Steelers wideout Martavis Bryant this offseason in exchange for their third round pick (which just so happened to turn into the Mason Rudolph pick).

But Bryant might be facing a lengthy suspension according to a report by the by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That’s bad news for Bryant who has had multiple suspensions throughout his career.

Any future misstep with the substance-abuse policy might prompt a year or longer suspension. The 2014 fourth-round pick from Clemson is entering the final year of his rookie contract, too. He is scheduled to become a free agent in March. (Las Vegas Review-Journal]

The silver lining is that if Bryant misses significant time, it could bode well for Ateman’s chances at breaking into the Raiders’ rotation. At 6-5, Bryant is probably biggest threat to keeping Ateman out of a job as the jump-ball, goal-line specialist he’s been projected as.

#Offseason

With their short summer break, these rookies are getting a chance to go home, see family, spend time with your new teammates and even skydive.

Hadda go Talk ya God First Hand ☁️☁️☁️ So Many Emotions ?? pic.twitter.com/725pMqg3Ai

— Ramon Richards (@chief_vii) June 21, 2018

Things have apparently clicked between Rudolph and Terrell Edmunds Pittsburgh’s first round pick at safety. Edmunds even dubbed Rudolph “my QB”.

When you’ve got that #FridayFeeling and just can’t hide it…

?: @rell_island6, @Rudolph2Mason pic.twitter.com/lcTGG1C04Z

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) June 15, 2018

Tre Flowers recently hit up new teammate Rasheem Green for a loan after the former USC defensive end inked his rookie deal.

@ras_green let me get a couple of dollars!! Lol

— Tre Flowers (@_Slimm7) June 20, 2018

? bet lol

— Tre Flowers (@_Slimm7) June 20, 2018

Flowers already signed his own deal but the difference between third round and fifth round money is substantial. According to 247Sports, the difference in the two rookies’ signing bonuses alone is probably north of $600,000.

Hopefully, Flowers who graduated with a degree in management knows to shop around for a more competitive interest rate.

PFB: Pokes in the Pros

Blake Jarwin is moving up the depth chart in Dallas
Antonio Brown loves him some Rudolph2Washington
Emmanuel Ogbah is ready for a breakout year

Follow Kyle Cox on Twitter, and be sure to follow Pistols Firing on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.