Many were quite confused when the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted quarterback, Chris Oladokun in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The move was questioned even more after the team released Oladokun when roster cuts began over a week ago. The rookie out of South Dakota State barely saw any action throughout training camp and the team moving on from him seems to have triggered a negative response from fans and some media members. The reality of the situation is that seventh round draft choices aren't all a fit to make the team like linebacker, Mark Robinson. Oladokun never had a shot and there's nothing wrong with that.
Steelers former quarterback, Chris Oladokun warms up for a 2022 preseason match-up. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
One of the main reasons the Steelers front office is receiving some heat on this subject is because of the success Robinson had in preseason and his opportunity to see the field in 2022. The two, however, entered completely different situations and while Robinson was a shot in the dark after playing just one season at linebacker during his final year of college, Oladokun was brought on as an insurance policy given the state of the quarterback situation in Pittsburgh.
The rookie was never going to have the chance to succeed and prove himself and the Steelers had more important positions to hold on to with three formidable quarterbacks on the roster. It all comes down to the fact that the organization probably didn't expect a certain quarterback on the roster to still be hanging around come the regular season as well as the team's desire to keep four quarterbacks.
Mason Rudolph was always expected to be traded by now. While he still may be, a move not happening before roster cuts began was always going to lead to Oladokun's release at some point towards the end of training camp. The decision to draft Oladokun had to be relevant to the front office's original goal to move Rudolph and keep the rookie as a healthy scratch on Sundays. The Steelers were most likely counting on him returning, but he joined the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad this week.
The only reason people are questioning the draft pick is because of the position he plays. Instead of praising the decision to select the potential home run in Robinson this past April, the move to take a potential third-string quarterback has been aggressively contested. No one knew a month ago what the signal-caller position would look like in the locker room, let alone in the spring.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Chris Oladokun (5) participates in Organized Team Activities (OTA's) Thursday May 26, 2022 at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. (Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers)
It wasn't a good or bad move to take a chance on the quarterback who had a dominant senior season in college. The chances of whoever was drafted 241st overall by the Steelers being cut were very high.
Overall, there shouldn't be any issues with the pick. Heck, Tom Brady was drafted in the sixth round. While that won't be Oladokun's path, Rudolph being traded or injured in camp would've led to more snaps and Oladokun would've been able to further prove himself. The goal was never to make him the starting quarterback or even backup. It was a low-risk, high-reward choice in case the franchise decided to make a change to the position.
Do you think the move to draft Oladokun was a bad play by the Steelers? Let us know in the comments below!
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