I Am Buying All The Mason Rudolph Stock I Can Get After Finding Out He Winked At Jadeveon Clowney Before His First Career NFL Snap
There are a lot of things NFL scouts look for in a quarterback during the draft process. Physical things like arm strength, 40 times, and how sexy they look in a pair of shorts. Mental things like how they hold up answering a barrage of weird ass interview questions or if they go with the ABBACADABBA method on a Wunderlic scantron. And most importantly the X-Factor things that separate the franchise quarterbacks from the great college quarterbacks, like finding out how many teammates showed up to that QBs birthday party or how more importantly how many teammates that QB showed up for when he needed it most.
Which is why I am all in on Mason Rudolph because he displayed one of the most impressive X-Factor moments I have ever seen. Winking at any of the superhumans across the line that are paid to crush your body and/or soul before a play takes guts. To do it before your first NFL snap shows swagger. And to wink at one of the biggest freaks of nature in a league full of freaks who was doing stuff like this to opposing players when he was 19 and not gunning for a new contract:
displays the exact kind of batshit craziness an NFL quarterback needs to succeed in that fucked up sport and league. Forget about all the Pros and Cons you read about Rudolph coming out of Oklahoma State. That wink right there is why the Steelers felt confident about trading a first rounder for Minkah Fitzpatrick while not worrying that it will become a Top 10 pick despite Big Ben’s injury. Because that your new QB1 showing that type of moxie is exactly what makes you bet on big on that QB (or bet on a Titans team on the road on a short week in a Lick Off Lock Off when you wanted the Jaguars anyway).
I am also buying a whole lot of James Washington fantasy stock since the Steelers appear to have finally realized that Donte Moncrief not only stinks but has always stunk. Since Washington is next on the depth chart and his college QB was Rudolph, I expect them to put up big numbers together because that’s how fantasy football brain (and gambling brain) works.