Fansided

10 NFL Draft observations you can steal to impress your friends

By Josh Hill

Dallas Cowboys fans celebrate as former Cowboys scout Gil Brandt announces Dorance Armstrong Jr., as the team's fourth-round pick during the final day of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT
Dallas Cowboys fans celebrate as former Cowboys scout Gil Brandt announces Dorance Armstrong Jr., as the team's fourth-round pick during the final day of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT /
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STILLWATER, OK – NOVEMBER 04: Quarterback Mason Rudolph #2 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys looks to throw against the Oklahoma Sooners at Boone Pickens Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 62-52. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
STILLWATER, OK – NOVEMBER 04: Quarterback Mason Rudolph #2 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys looks to throw against the Oklahoma Sooners at Boone Pickens Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 62-52. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

Steelers are planning for the future

Selecting Mason Rudolph in the third round perked the ears of NFL fans who are waiting to see who Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement will be. Right now Rudolph could equally be Big Ben as he could be Landry Jones, but the point is the Steelers are thinking ahead in ways they haven’t before.

Proof of this was seen in drafting Rudoph’s Oklahoma State teammate James Washington to be a potential star at wide receiver. It’s a cool story on the surface, but it’s so much more than that. By pairing Rudolph and Washington, Pittsburgh is trying to set up continuity down the line.

Maybe the succession plan won’t end up working out, but the pieces have been placed on the board and it’s now a matter of trying to see where they’ll end up.

Maurice Hurst could be the steal of the draft

A heart condition and medical red flag sunk Maurice Hurst’s draft stock from that of a first-rounder to a third day pick. Jon Gruden had bungled his first draft since returning to the NFL until he turned in the card that had Hurst’s name on it.

This could end up being a defining pick of Gruden’s tenure. Either Hurst will overcome the adversity of sliding on draft day to become the top talent he was graded out as being, or he’ll bust. Nothing better personifies the extreme nature of how Gruden’s return to Oakland will play out than the mirror expectations of Hurst’s NFL future.

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