LAS VEGAS – South Dakota State running back Pierre Strong Jr. and quarterback Chris Oladokun were both selected in the NFL Draft on Saturday.
Strong, who is the Jackrabbits’ third all-time leading rusher, was taken in the fourth round by the New England Patriots as the 127th overall selection. Strong rushed for at least 1,000 yards in all three full seasons he played for SDSU, including 1,668 yards in 2021, which led all FCS rushers. Strong was a consensus All-American and a Walter Payton award finalist and played in the East-West Shrine Game.
Oladokun, who started every game at quarterback for the Jacks last season, was chosen in the seventh round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his first and only season at SDSU as a graduate transfer, Oladokun passed for 3,164 yards, third-most in school history, and 25 touchdowns.
Strong and Oladokun are the first SDSU players to be drafted since cornerback Jordan Brown was taken by Cincinnati in the seventh round in 2019. In 2018, tight end Dallas Goedert was taken by Philadelphia in the second round. Strong joins Goedert, Steve Heiden and Lynn Boden as the only Jackrabbit players to be taken in the first four rounds of the draft.
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