Eagles QB prospect grew up a huge fan of Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick

Don’t shut the doors on the Philadelphia Eagles‘ quarterback factory and put up any for-sale signage yet. Ahead of the NFL Draft, we’ve seen Howie Roseman spend a considerable amount of time studying Malik Willis at the Senior Bowl. We’ve seen Philly take Kenny Pickett out for a night on the town. We’ve seen Matt Corral visit the NovaCare Complex for a top-30 visit.

If you’re taking notes, add Chris Oladokun‘s name to the list. Some of you may remember a stint in South Florida with the Bulls that stretched from 2017 until 2018, but he really made a name for himself during the 2021 NCAA football season.

He completed 62 percent of his passes at the helm for Dallas Goedert’s alma mater, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. In the process, he racked up 2,697 yards passing while tossing 22 touchdowns versus only five interceptions.

Doug Kyed reported about a week ago that he had a virtual visit with the Eagles and Chicago Bears. He’s an interesting prospect who could hear his name called on Day 3.

Could Chris Oladokun continue a lineage that began with the Eagles long ago?

These days, it’s common to see African-American quarterbacks earning an opportunity to compete for an NFL team’s starting quarterback position, but as you know, that wasn’t always the case. The Eagles, to their credit, have a long history in which they’ve worked to change that narrative. names like Randall Cunningham, Rodney Peete, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, and Jalen Hurts come to mind.

That isn’t a fact that’s lost on Oladokun who patterns his game after some of the black signal-callers that he grew up watching. Recently, he spoke with Oliver Hodgkinson of Pro Football Network and shared his affinity for the Eagles, McNabb, and Vick. Here’s a quote from their conversation:

"Just like every other kid (I was a fan of Michael Vick’s). I had the Michael Vick cleats, and my first number was seven because of Michael Vick. You didn’t see a lot of black quarterbacks in the league, especially at that time. To see a black quarterback, guys like Cam (Newton), Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper, to see someone who looked like you play the position you wanted to play, was pretty cool."

Oladokun wowed at his Pro Day, showing a nice mixture of arm strength and athletic ability. Take a look.

The Florida native may not be the speedster that Vick is as he ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash, but who is, right? What he does bring to the table is quality arm strength, mobility, and ball placement. He sees the field very well, but he could work on steering away from the back-foot throws and his tendency to sail the ball, especially during throws aimed at the sideline.

That’s okay though. He’s young, and that’s why NFL teams have quarterback coaches. Make sure you write his name down. Oladokun is someone who could slide into the ‘sleeper’ category and rise on draft day.