Steelers OTAs Day 3 Recap: Mason Rudolph declares himself a “work in progress”

Despite what some may tell you, there was actually football played at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex in Pittsburgh, PA Thursday. And while most focused on the new National Anthem policy passed by the NFL owners, the focus for this article is simply football.

While Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and other veterans all gave the media some of their time earlier in the week, it was Mason Rudolph who faced some questions on how his first week went.

After being praised by wide receiver Marcus Tucker and even Roethlisberger himself, Rudolph stayed humble and declared himself “a work in progress”.

To be completely honest, there has been nothing more refreshing about Rudolph than his demeanor when speaking with the media. He always seems to say the right things, never ruffles feathers and just has the knack for being able to work his way around the potential questions which can lead to headaches.

The way he handles himself in this sense reminds me a lot of Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. While I know not everyone is a fan of Crosby, he certainly knows how to stay out of the limelight and keep his nose to the grindstone.

Rudolph is a work in progress, and he should be saying nothing but how he has to keep working his butt off to prepare himself for his day in the sun. When will that come? No one knows, but Rudolph certainly seems as if he is headed in the right direction, both on and off the field.

Top rookie pick draws Big Ben’s attention

Terrell Edmunds was recently asked about the difference of rookie minicamp to that of OTAs. His response says it all:

When Edmunds speaks of the speed of the game from rookie camp to OTAs, he better settle in and buckle up — because it only gets faster from here.

Once players arrive at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, and the pads start popping, that is when you get a real taste of NFL football. The first preseason game likely seems like a blur, and if a rookie is lucky enough to get into a regular season game — forget about it.

It takes time to get acclimated, and Edmunds going against Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Vance McDonald and company will only prepare him more for the trials and tribulations which occur weekly at the NFL level.

Time to check out some videos and pictures from the latest day of work in the Steel City:

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