New England Patriots host private workout with Mason Rudolph
The New England Patriots held a private workout with Oklahoma State quarterback, Mason Rudolph.
The New England Patriots are one of the few organizations that truly excels during the NFL Draft. New England seems to always find players later in the draft that have a positive impact. Look no further than future Hall of Famer, Tom Brady, who was a sixth-round pick in 2000.
With Brady under center, the Patriots have not had to worry about the quarterback position for 18 years. However, all good things must come to an end.
Eventually, the Patriots will have to replace Brady under center. Brady will be 41-years old when the season begins. Given his age, the Patriots need to have a contingency plan in place. With the trade of Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers prior to last year’s NFL Trade Deadline, the Patriots would seem to be without one currently.
Right now, Brian Hoyer is the only quarterback on the roster other than Brady. That will change at some point in the near future. The NFL Draft will provide New England with a chance to change that.
The Patriots recently traded wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Los Angeles Rams. For Cooks, the Patriots received the No. 23 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. New England is now armed with two first-round picks, and five total picks in the first three rounds.
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The Patriots have a ton of flexibility heading into this draft. They are armed with enough ammunition to move up if they choose or shuffle their picks. Draft day trades is something Bill Belichick is very comfortable with, making 61 trades in his 18 years at the helm.
There are a number of different directions the Patriots could go in this year. They have a few areas that need some strengthening on the roster. The offensive line and pass rusher are two areas that come to mind. Another one is at quarterback.
If there is a player that the Patriots like, they have the resources to make a move and acquire that player. One quarterback to keep an eye on is Mason Rudolph of Oklahoma State.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Patriots recently held a private workout with the Oklahoma State product. In addition to the workout with Rudolph, his teammate at Oklahoma State, wide receiver James Washington, was also spoken highly of.
New England is not the only team interested in Rudolph, as Rapoport also said he has a busy scheduled of workouts and meetings.
Of note for the #Patriots, who now have 2 first-round picks: They recently had a private workout with #OKState QB Mason Rudolph, touted WR James Washington, and others. A source at the school describes Rudolph, likely first-rounder, as extremely busy with meetings and workouts.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 6, 2018
New England’s interest in Rudolph should not be surprising. With multiple first-round picks, they can afford to draft someone like him if they believe he can be the successor to Brady. It may not fill a need on the team immediately, but it could fill a big long-term one.
Rudolph was prolific as anyone in college football during his time with the Cowboys. In his senior season, Rudolph completed 65 percent of his passes, throwing for 4,905 yards, 37 touchdowns and only nine interceptions.
He possesses the size you want in an NFL quarterback and has plenty of experience, starting three seasons at Oklahoma State. Rudolph will need time to develop, as he played out of the shotgun in a spread system in Oklahoma State. There aren’t many better teams to develop with than New England.
Rudolph makes for a good target for New England. They will not need him to step in and start right way. Instead, they would afford him the chance to learn and develop, something not all young players are given.