The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t just draft one quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft, they selected QB Chris Oladokun out of South Dakota State in the 7th round. The Steelers typically go into camp with at least four quarterbacks on the roster and Oladokun became that fourth man with their 241st pick.
Oladokun sat down with Steelers reporter, Missi Matthews, to answer a few questions about how he became a Steeler, the pre-draft process, and more!
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Chris Oladokun (5) participates in Organized Team Activities (OTAs) Thursday May 26, 2022 at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. (Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers)
Matthews asked, "Is he [head coach Mike Tomlin] who you thought he was going to be now that you've had a chance to be around him more?"
"Yeah, no, just because there's so many guys that I know that have played for him. Diontae [Johnson] I've known for awhile, Ray-Ray McCloud I've known for awhile, Deon Cain, all those guys have played here. So when I'm back home training, I would ask them about Coach Tomlin. They're all like, man, if you ever come here, you'd love him. And so, it's been great. And he's exactly who I thought, who I've heard he was.
Matthews: "You mentioned a number of guys that you know who play here or who have played here, Diontae's somebody you worked out with this off-season. How has he looked? And how is it getting a chance to work with him?"
"He looks great. He's ready to get back up here. And he's just making sure his body is recovering from last season. But we've gotten to definitely throw and work out every single day together. And he's definitely going to be ready, and I'm excited to see what he does this year, too, after coming off a Pro Bowl last year, which was definitely deserved. I'm just really proud of him, just how far he has come. He was my host when he was at Toledo. So, we've known each other for awhile. And so, it's always good when you see someone from the city doing pretty well."
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Diontae Johnson (#18) poses at Heinz Field in 2021. | Photo - JSKO_PHOTO (Twitter)
The Steelers complicated QB room
"How do you explain, getting drafted is the ultimate goal for everybody, draft weekend, but coming somewhere where they don't know who the quarterback's going to be, they don't know who's going to be in the quarterback room this season, is that exciting? Is it nervous, anxious? How do you explain that feeling?" Matthews asked Oladokun.
"I think it's a little bit of everything. There's a lot of uncertainty in our room. And I think we have a really good room with Mitch [Trubisky], Mason [Rudolph], and then Kenny [Pickett], and myself. And we all bring a lot of different things to the table at the quarterback position. So like I said, meeting and getting to build those relationships with other guys on the field, it's just as important to build relationships with guys in your room because not only we're competing versus each other and then we're all pushing each other. But at the same time, we all have a role. And whatever my role is going to be for this upcoming season, I'm going to embrace that role and hit it full-head steam."
Check out the full interview here!
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