Patrick Mahomes' look-alike deserves a warm welcome from Chiefs Kingdom

We all spent our childhoods the same way: swinging the bat in the backyard pretending to be Ken Griffey Jr. or running the ball like Bo Jackson at recess. Or if you're like me, you were a husky white kid who pretended to be Shaq in the driveway. Regardless, we all have our sports idols who we one day dream of modeling our game after. I can honestly say I've never dunked before but I still have a pretty sweet Shaq-inspired hook shot.

Dylan Raiola might be the biggest test yet of the question, "Can you grow up to be just like your idol?" The Nebraska QB went viral yesterday for his not-so-signature look as he showed up to camp looking almost identical to Patrick Mahomes.

Raiola is the son of former Lions defensive lineman Dominic Raiola and the godson of Matthew Stafford. Despite Patrick Mahomes' jokes online yesterday, there appears to be no relation between Mahomes and Raiola.

It's more than looks for Raiola, though. He plays the game in a similar style to Mahomes—leveraging his elite arm strength and mobility to throw off-platform and create big plays down the field.

Raiola was a consensus top 10 recruit of the 2022 recruiting class. He originally committed to Georgia before flipping his commitment to Nebraska last December. Don't be surprised if you see Mahomes embracing the comparisons to him, as Raiola has been putting in work with him and his trainer Bobby Stroupe.

As a Chiefs fan and/or maybe a fan of a local college that competes against Nebraska, it's easy to laugh at a player trying to emulate the best player in football. We all know there will only ever be one Patrick Mahomes. We often forget how much Mahomes changed the analysis of QB play across the league. Teams were mortified to draft players from the air raid offense in college, especially players who relied on their arm talent like Mahomes rather than footwork.

Mahomes did unconventional things on the field, such as throwing across his body, throwing with his left hand, and tossing no-look passes. These elements of his game had the talking heads calling him a "trick shot artist" rather than a top tier QB. Three Super Bowl rings later, those critics are much quieter now.

Ultimately, Raiola is likely never going to live up to the hype he's put on himself by modeling his game after Mahomes. But he can be a great college quarterback and eventual draft prospect without ever being on Mahomes' level. As Chiefs fans, we should embrace Raiola. It shows just how much Mahomes' influence and brand have shaped the game of football. Yes, we know he'll never be Mahomes but it is fun to see him try it.

No, you don't need to buy a corn cobb head piece this college football season or to start chanting "Go Big Red," but you should want to see Raiola play well. If Patrick Mahomes can embrace it. so can Chiefs Kingdom.