In his final draft as Steelers general manager, Kevin Colbert did something out of the ordinary by doubling up at the quarterback position. The selection of South Dakota State’s Chris Oladokun in the seventh round once again gave the Steelers four quarterbacks after Dwayne Haskins’ untimely death in early April.
The room is now presumably set heading into training camp, but the order in which all four rank on the depth chart is to be determined. It’s something Oladokun describes as a mixed bag of emotions when discussing the quarterback battle.
“I think it’s a little bit of everything. There’s a lot of uncertainty in our (quarterback) room,” said Oladokun in an 1-on-1 interview with Steelers reporter Missi Matthews. “I think we have a really good room with Mitch, Mason and then Kenny and myself. We all bring a lot of different things to the table at the quarterback position. Meeting, getting to build relationships with other guys on the field, it’s just as important to build those relationships with guys in your room because we’re competing versus each other and we’re all pushing each other, but at the same time, we all have a role.”
He’s correct in the fact that the quarterback position in Pittsburgh is certainly more diverse than in previous years. And with that diversity comes some youth. The oldest quarterback on the roster will be Mitch Trubisky, who will turn 28 years old in August. For the Steelers, one of their top priorities this offseason was to acquire quarterbacks that would better fit into offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s system. Both first-round pick Kenny Pickett and Oladokun fit the bill of athletic quarterbacks who can evade the rush when it comes and make plays off-script.
The speed at which Oladokun can grasp the playbook may determine whether or not he can move up the ladder. If he’s able to show some of that moxy that he played with at South Dakota State, it could make Mason Rudolph expendable, which might have been Colbert and company’s thinking all along. Regardless of whether or not that happens, Oladokun is probably destined for a practice squad spot should he end up being the third quarterback out of camp. It’s not exactly a bad position to be in, considering most seventh-rounders are usually long shots to make the roster. But overall, his mobility and playmaking just adds to a room that will be under the microscope right up until the Steelers make a decision on who starts Week 1.
