Oklahoma State's outstanding quarterback/wide receiver duo of Mason Rudolph and James Washington made headlines last year when they announced they would be returning, together, to Stillwater for their senior seasons. Instantly, the Cowboys became the offseason's trendy Big 12 title contender as well as a fun playoff possibility. 

Although neither of those goals came to fruition, Rudolph and Washington showed why they were the most exciting offensive pair in college football. They connected 74 times for 1,549 yards and 15 touchdowns with Washington winning the Biletnikoff Award for most outstanding receiver. Even when defenses successfully contained the dynamic duo, which wasn't often, they were still capable of hitting that over-the-top big play at a moment's notice. That's what made them entertaining. 

Although seeing this on a weekly basis became commonplace, it never lost its wow factor. 

Now, Rudolph and Washington are playing in the NFL, together, for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Washington was selected in the second round with the 60th overall pick. Rudolph was taken not long after in the third round with the 76th pick. 

If this is Pittsburgh's vision for the future, it's certainly convenient -- and likely no coincidence -- that it picked two players with an established rapport with one another. The best-case scenario is that Rudolph and Washington pick up where they left off at Oklahoma State and give the Steelers a long-term option resembling the chemistry shown by Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. NFL offenses, with terminology, route trees and the like, are different beasts from college offenses. But at least Rudolph and Washington have a leg up in understanding each other's tendencies and decision-making. It could also help ease the transition into the NFL to work with a familiar face. 

Washington figures to be a more immediate contributor, likely in the slot. The Steelers have a good history of second-round picks, too, with Juju Smith-Schuster and Le'Veon Bell coming out of that round. With Washington now in the fold of a receiving corps that features Brown, Smith-Schuster and Jesse James, the Steelers will once again have one of the top passing attacks in the league. 

The quarterback situation requires more time. The Steelers have been mentally preparing themselves for life after Ben Roethlisberger for at least a while now, but Big Ben's public flirtation with retirement over the past year has placed some urgency on preparing for the future with potentially a new franchise quarterback. The decision to trade up and get Rudolph showed the Steelers understood this. 

It also shows the organization doesn't believe Landry Jones nor Joshua Dobbs is the answer for when Roethlisberger does leave. Jones, who has been with the team for five years, has had his moments in five career starts, but nothing that would indicate he's clear successor. 

Pittsburgh is hoping Rudolph will be good enough to develop behind Big Ben, show flashes in limited appearances and become the next Jimmy Garoppolo. In that scenario, the Steelers could easily exchange him for high draft picks that can be used on a quarterback. 

Of course, the more convenient option would be for Rudolph to be the next face of the franchise. And if he is, the third round is a hell of a place to get him. This year's crop of quarterbacks was fascinating; five of them went in the first round, including four in the top 10. The NFL's thirst for quarterbacks in the draft is well-documented, but the Steelers found value in getting Rudolph when they did because there was so much disagreement among scouts over who was really "QB1" in the draft. In other words, the top of the quarterback draft class was cloudy. Rudolph fell far enough that the Steelers felt comfortable trading up to get him with zero buyer's remorse. 

The Steelers, long known for the "Steel Curtain" and stingy Dick Lebeau defenses, have transformed their identity as an offensive-oriented team. Based on the selections of Rudolph and Washington, the organization is intent on keeping that identity moving forward. If in five or six years the Steelers continue to light NFL scoreboards on fire, it's entirely possible this was the draft that set it all in motion. 

And Rudolph and Washington could be together for a long, long time.