How good can Mason Rudolph be for the Steelers?

With Ben Roethlisberger out for the season, it’ll be the Mason Rudolph show in Pittsburgh. How good can the former Oklahoma State star be for the Steelers?

Things are not going well for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After missing the playoffs a year ago, the AFC flagship franchise is now 0-2 on the year after failing at home in Week 2 to the Seattle Seahawks. Not only are the Steelers two games back of the archrival Baltimore Ravens, but they are now without franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the season.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday morning that Roethlisberger will be out for the year with an elbow injury suffered in the Week 2 defeat to Seattle. Roethlisberger is expected to have season-ending elbow surgery by the end of the week.

Now it will be up to second-year signal-caller Mason Rudolph to lead the Steelers offense the rest of the way. Rudolph starred in college at Oklahoma State, but how good can the 2018 third-round pick be for the Black and Yellow?

After not playing a snap during his rookie year, Rudolph was thrust into duty once Roethlisberger succumbed to his season-ending elbow injury. Rudolph completed 12 of 19 passes for 112 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in his NFL debut on Sunday afternoon. Though he averaged only 5.9 yards per attempt, this was a solid start to his NFL career all things considered.

Rudolph spoke with FanSided back in January a few weeks before Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta. He said, “I don’t listen to the outside world. I know why they brought me here. It’s to be the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers one day.”

Well, that day is now for the former Oklahoma State standout. Can he replace Roethlisberger in the Pittsburgh starting lineup? Whether he’s ready or not, that is exactly what will happen on the road Sunday versus the San Francisco 49ers.

In four years at Oklahoma State, Rudolph completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 13,618 yards, 92 touchdowns and 26 interceptions, averaging 9.4 yards per attempt and boasting a passing efficiency rating of 159.7. Rudolph won both the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Sammy Baugh Trophy during his senior season in 2017.

Overall, Rudolph was widely seen as the sixth-best quarterback prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft, after obviously the quintet that went in the first round. That being said, Pittsburgh did see a lot of potential in Rudolph coming out of Oklahoma State and heading into this season.

The Steelers ended up trading their other backup quarterback in Joshua Dobbs to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week after their starter Nick Foles broke his clavicle in Week 1’s home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Dobbs was certainly capable of filling in for Roethlisberger but does not seem to have the upside as a pocket passer of Rudolph at this juncture.

Rudolph is a strong 6-foot-5, 230-pound passer who can thrive playing in a northern climate like Pittsburgh. Playing behind one of the best offensive lines in football will help, as will having his former college teammate James Washington as a vibrant part of the Steelers receiving corps.

Washington was a unanimous All-American for Oklahoma State, winning the Biletnikoff Award in 2017 with Rudolph throwing him the ball. Without question, their rapport will be stronger than what Roethlisberger had with the second-year pro. Add in that new No. 1 wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is still in his early 20s and this Steelers offense could be a lot of fun.

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In short, the Steelers drafted Rudolph to replace Roethlisberger one day. They doubled-down on that notion by trading Dobbs to the Jaguars last week. Rudolph doesn’t have to be Big Ben to be an effective passer for the Steelers. If he can be himself, look for the Steelers to remain competitive offensively, even if Roethlisberger is out for the year.