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!
Tommy Martino/Associated Press
"You mentioned how you all bring something different, What do you bring that's different than the other guys?" Matthews asked Oladokun.
"I think you look at my film and just the ability to use my legs and get out of trouble if need be, evading the rushes and making some off-platform throws, pushing the ball down the field, and creating explosive plays. That's what makes the game fun for me, making a big splash play, especially when your team needs it. So, I think that's what I bring to the table. And that's what I look to bring to this organization."
Matthews follows up with, "Have you always been hard to take down?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say so." Oladokun said with a laugh. "Yeah, since I was little. Growing up, I was always one of the fastest guys on my team. So, I remember when I was little, one of my coaches, he put me at running back and he told my dad that I'd never be a quarterback and that I'd probably be a running back or receiver when I got older. So, I'd love to [see] what he thinks now," said with a slight chuckle."
Matt Zimmer / USA TODAY NETWORK
Matthews responded, "Yeah, I was going to say it's funny you remember that."
"Yeah, oh, I've never forgotten it. It's sort of that chip that I've always sort of had on my shoulder, that if someone says I can't do something, then we'll see. And I'm going to bet on myself every time."
A former Steelers QB with a similar past
Matthews: "I know you and Devlin [Duck] Hodges know each other. A, was he called "Duck" in college?"
"Duck, yeah. I've never heard him called 'Devlin.' People only call him 'Duck.'"
With Devlin Hodges, the Steelers are breaking in a new QB for the second time since the season began. Joe Sargent/Getty Images
Matthews, with a laugh: "Okay, alright. So, that just wasn't a Pittsburgh thing."
"Did you have a chance to watch him when he was here and what he was able to do in that 2019 season?" Matthews followed up asking.
"Of course. Well, I was just telling people the other day, I was at Samford at the time. And I was a quarterback right after him, and he had just gotten cut after camp. So, he was back in Birmingham, sort of throwing. And then he'd hit me up. On the weekends, we'd go grab food and hang out. And then I hit him up one Friday. I'm like, hey, what are you doing today? And he's like, oh, I'm actually flying back out to Pittsburgh. He's like, the Steelers just called me back. And I was like, 'well, congrats.' And then two weeks later, he's the starting quarterback on Sunday Night Football, which was a crazy turnaround for him. But I kept in contact with him that whole time. And he loved Pittsburgh. I always tell him he was like a Pittsburgh legend for those weeks he was playing quarterback here. So that was pretty cool to see."
Check out the full interview here!
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