After Oklahoma State quarterback Daxx Garman suffered a concussion in Week 12 versus Texas in 2014, Mason Rudolph stepped in at quarterback and played so well that he enters the 2015 season as one of the highest-upside QBs in the country.
In three starts, Rudolph generated per-game-averages of 284.3 passing yards, 2.0 TDs, and posted an 88.39 PFF QB rating. Rudolph showcased an impressive 2.59-second time-to-throw average, and his QB rating actually increased from 83.0 before 2.6 seconds to 111.3 after (meaning that not only can he get the ball out quickly, but he does even better when given time to sit back in the pocket).
Even more impressive was the fact that 26.7 percent of his passing attempts were targeted at 20-plus yards, and he completed 52.2 percent of those for 5-of-6 of his TD total. The go- and slant-route specialist earned positive grades on targets in both the 10- to 19-yard range, and beyond 20 yards. Rudolph utilized play action on greater than half of his dropbacks (53.5 percent) and proved dominant off of the misdirection (107.2 QB rating).
It’s probably not a coincidence that after how well Rudolph played, Garman decided to transfer to Maryland.
Rudolph possesses the height, speed and athleticism the NFL will covet; and, surprisingly, his numbers resemble a freshman-season Andrew Luck (they are also similar athletes in terms of their size and speed):
Luck: 56.3 completion percentage, 8.94 yards per attempt
Rudolph: 57.0 completion percentage, 9.92 yards per attempt
That’s an incredibly lofty comparison, and we’re not saying Rudolph is the next Luck. But the potential is certainly there for him to be one of the more productive QBs in college football this season.
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