Gil Brandt names Cardinals C Mason Cole to his NFL All-Rookie team
Jan 25, 2019, 6:22 AM
(AP Photo/Matt York)
When center Mason Cole was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, it looked likely his games started streak would come to an end.
Cole had started every game since his freshman year of high school.
But when A.Q. Shipley tore his ACL in early August, Cole was set to extend the streak. Filling in for the injured veteran, Cole started every game as a rookie.
NFL.com’s Gil Brandt named him to his 2018 NFL All-Rookie team on Wednesday.
“He’s very smart and projects to be an impact player at the pros for many years.”
Cole was picked in the third round, No. 97 overall, by the Cardinals. He was a constant on an offensive line that struggled mightily, fighting through injuries and going through 10 different starting combinations over the season.
He was not only the lone Cardinals lineman to play all 16 games, he played every offensive snaps, 942 total. The player with the next-highest OL snap count, D.J. Humphries, played 522.
Cole and Cincinnati Bengals first-round draft pick Billy Price have been frequent names at the center spot on All-Rookie lists.
Cole was named to ESPN’s team on Jan. 14, while Price was named to the Pro Football Writer’s Association’s team and garnered an honorable mention on the ESPN list behind Cole.