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The Pittsburgh Steelers have selected South Dakota State QB Chris Oladokun with their final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
PROS
For being a college student, Oladokun is a bit of a journeyman, as he began his career at the University of South Florida, then transferred to Samford, then ended his eligibility at South Dakota State. But with that said, he’s made a major impact in every game he’s played. He has a big arm and is able to hit throws all over the field. Not to mention, he is also very efficient with his passes, as he completed almost 64% of his passes in 2021 for 2,450 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions. He is able to make plays on his feet and maintain a strong throw velocity at awkward throwing motions. He’s not necessarily a ‘dual-threat’ quarterback, but Oladokun relates his playing style to that of Cam Newton, where he can throw from the pocket but can still pick up decent yardage on broken plays with his legs. At his Pro Day, he showed great arm strength by tossing the ball almost 70 yards in the air. Oladokun showed he has all the right traits of a possible NFL quarterback and can be groomed to fit a pro-style offensive scheme.
CONS
Although he has a strong arm, Oladokun’s accuracy is a bit suspect. Sure, he can hit the short to intermediate throws, but he had trouble hitting sideline passes and fade routes at his Pro Day. In addition, on timing routes and play-action calls, he looked to miss-time some throws resulting in the receiver having to either slow up to wait on the ball or having to reach back to make the catch. On that same note, Oladokun has troubles making plays with pressure in his face. Even with a single volunteer running at him in his Pro Day, some passes landed out of bounds or over the head of the receiver. In addition, his mechanics aren’t the best. Although he has great power with different throw angles, he tends to rely on those and gets lackadaisical with his footwork, going through his progressions, and misses what the defense gives him. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, which can be good, but can also lead to preventative errors and the constant ‘boom or bust’ mentality on every play.
STEELERS DRAFT PROJECTION: 7th Round or UDFA
Oladokun has a tough hill to climb with this year’s draft. In a relatively weaker quarterback class, he likely still won’t be considered in the first two days of the draft. But as we’ve seen the quarterback carousel continue this offseason, teams will still forever be in need of depth at the quarterback position. This constant need will be Oladokun’s saving grace for a late draft selection. As of where we stand right now, I consider Oladokun as a 7th round selection, but don’t be surprised if he begins his NFL career as an undrafted free agent rookie.
VERDICT
I’m sure the Steelers’ past drew them to meet with Oladokun. That past being the ability to win games with quarterbacks from small schools. In addition to Roethlisberger, just look at Terry Bradshaw, Charlie Batch, and Devlin Hodges; just because they played for a smaller school, this doesn’t mean they can’t perform in the NFL. While we do not know how the meeting went or general feelings towards Oladokun from the Steelers’ camp, it is safe to say there is a lot of interest being generated around Oladokun from NFL scouts. With other NFL teams also meeting with Oladokun, it looks like his draft stock is slowly increasing heading into the draft. For the Steelers, I am at the ‘sure, why not’ stage. With Trubisky already bringing a solid floor into the quarterback room, it would make sense to add a low-cost, younger option at quarterback. Oladokun’s measurables have him as a ‘discount version’ of Willis, so why not sign him as such? If Willis is gone by the 20th overall spot, bolster the secondary, offensive line, and receiving corps in the first six rounds of the draft and aim for Oladokun later in the third day or in the days that follow the draft. If he works out his mechanical issues and gets himself on an NFL roster, Oladokun could be one of the biggest sleepers in this year’s draft. He’s proven throughout his college career that all he needs is a chance to play, and he’ll make coaches glad they picked him.
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PROS
For being a college student, Oladokun is a bit of a journeyman, as he began his career at the University of South Florida, then transferred to Samford, then ended his eligibility at South Dakota State. But with that said, he’s made a major impact in every game he’s played. He has a big arm and is able to hit throws all over the field. Not to mention, he is also very efficient with his passes, as he completed almost 64% of his passes in 2021 for 2,450 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions. He is able to make plays on his feet and maintain a strong throw velocity at awkward throwing motions. He’s not necessarily a ‘dual-threat’ quarterback, but Oladokun relates his playing style to that of Cam Newton, where he can throw from the pocket but can still pick up decent yardage on broken plays with his legs. At his Pro Day, he showed great arm strength by tossing the ball almost 70 yards in the air. Oladokun showed he has all the right traits of a possible NFL quarterback and can be groomed to fit a pro-style offensive scheme.
CONS
Although he has a strong arm, Oladokun’s accuracy is a bit suspect. Sure, he can hit the short to intermediate throws, but he had trouble hitting sideline passes and fade routes at his Pro Day. In addition, on timing routes and play-action calls, he looked to miss-time some throws resulting in the receiver having to either slow up to wait on the ball or having to reach back to make the catch. On that same note, Oladokun has troubles making plays with pressure in his face. Even with a single volunteer running at him in his Pro Day, some passes landed out of bounds or over the head of the receiver. In addition, his mechanics aren’t the best. Although he has great power with different throw angles, he tends to rely on those and gets lackadaisical with his footwork, going through his progressions, and misses what the defense gives him. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, which can be good, but can also lead to preventative errors and the constant ‘boom or bust’ mentality on every play.
STEELERS DRAFT PROJECTION: 7th Round or UDFA
Oladokun has a tough hill to climb with this year’s draft. In a relatively weaker quarterback class, he likely still won’t be considered in the first two days of the draft. But as we’ve seen the quarterback carousel continue this offseason, teams will still forever be in need of depth at the quarterback position. This constant need will be Oladokun’s saving grace for a late draft selection. As of where we stand right now, I consider Oladokun as a 7th round selection, but don’t be surprised if he begins his NFL career as an undrafted free agent rookie.
VERDICT
I’m sure the Steelers’ past drew them to meet with Oladokun. That past being the ability to win games with quarterbacks from small schools. In addition to Roethlisberger, just look at Terry Bradshaw, Charlie Batch, and Devlin Hodges; just because they played for a smaller school, this doesn’t mean they can’t perform in the NFL. While we do not know how the meeting went or general feelings towards Oladokun from the Steelers’ camp, it is safe to say there is a lot of interest being generated around Oladokun from NFL scouts. With other NFL teams also meeting with Oladokun, it looks like his draft stock is slowly increasing heading into the draft. For the Steelers, I am at the ‘sure, why not’ stage. With Trubisky already bringing a solid floor into the quarterback room, it would make sense to add a low-cost, younger option at quarterback. Oladokun’s measurables have him as a ‘discount version’ of Willis, so why not sign him as such? If Willis is gone by the 20th overall spot, bolster the secondary, offensive line, and receiving corps in the first six rounds of the draft and aim for Oladokun later in the third day or in the days that follow the draft. If he works out his mechanical issues and gets himself on an NFL roster, Oladokun could be one of the biggest sleepers in this year’s draft. He’s proven throughout his college career that all he needs is a chance to play, and he’ll make coaches glad they picked him.
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
... Could have been UDFA last 3 picks they did not try.
