Mason Rudolph Announcement that he is leaving Steelers today another significant issue for team….
is not Mason Rudolph’s intention to bring some credibility to the 2018 quarterback class of which he is a mid-round member. His sole objective Monday afternoon is to help the Pittsburgh Steelers win a playoff game for the first time in seven seasons.
Still, if he’s able to lead the Steelers past the Buffalo Bills and fellow classmate Josh Allen in an AFC wild-card matchup at Highmark Stadium, Rudolph could give his much-scrutinized quarterback group a dose of respect.
Rudolph is one of four quarterbacks from the once-heralded 2018 class who will start a game in this postseason. Allen, the most successful member from a playoff wins perspective, will be on the other sideline Sunday. Baker Mayfield will start Monday night for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Lamar Jackson has the weekend off before he leads the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens into playoff action.
What’s more, Sam Darnold is a backup on the NFC top-seeded San Francisco 49ers, fifth-round pick Mike White is a backup with the Miami Dolphins and the undrafted Kyle Allen is the No. 2 quarterback in Buffalo.
Rudolph is focused exclusively on the task at hand, but he is admittedly curious to see how the others fare.
“Every quarterback follows every other quarterback in this league,” he said. “There are very few guys who have started or gotten a chance to play. I’ve always been a big fan of those guys. … Everyone keeps up, roots everyone on except for when we are playing each other.”
The 2018 quarterback class was heralded as arguably the deepest this century. Five passers were taken in the first round, the most since 1999 and second only to the famed 1983 group that included Hall of Famers Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and John Elway.
Six seasons later, it’s safe to say that draft produced more busts than stars. Among those first-round talents, Allen and Jackson are the only ones with their original team. Rudolph, who went in the third round when the Steelers traded up several picks to get him, is the only other passer of the 13 taken in the Class of ’18 who remains with the team that drafted him.
Mayfield, selected first overall by Cleveland, is on his fourth team. Darnold, who went third to the New York Jets, is on his third. Josh Rosen, the No. 10 overall pick of the Arizona Cardinals, spent time with seven organizations, hasn’t played in a game since 2021 and wasn’t on an NFL roster this fall.
Allen was taken by the Bills with the No. 7 overall pick that year. Entering the draft, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. thought he and Darnold were candidates to be the first quarterback drafted.
