“Why Not?”: Chad Johnson and Shannon Sharpe Encourage Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola to Keep Copying Patrick Mahomes

Dylan Raiola has barely started his college career, but the Nebraska quarterback has already made national waves for his uncanny resemblance to Patrick Mahomes … not just in appearance, but in style, swagger, and even the number on his jersey.

From the sunglasses to the pregame routine, Raiola has drawn so many comparisons to the Kansas City Chiefs star that Mahomes himself was asked about it last week at Arrowhead Stadium.

Instead of brushing it off, the three-time Super Bowl champion smiled and welcomed the copycat narrative: “It’s cool, honestly. It takes me back to when I was a kid and would imitate guys I looked up to,” Mahomes said.

This kind of endorsement should have been enough to silence critics who have trolled the Cornhuskers star for trying too hard in his Mahomes imitation. This is why it became the perfect fodder for Nightcap, where Chad Johnson and Shannon Sharpe weighed in on whether Raiola should lean into the comparison.

“Oh yeah. Listen, if there’s a person you want to replicate, if there’s a person you want to emulate, you want [him] to be like, ‘Shoot, [I’m] replicating the right person,’” Ocho said, giving Raiola a full vote of confidence. He even doubled down, urging the youngster to go all-in: “Not only that, but copy him. Copy everything he does. Why not?”

Sharpe, ever the veteran voice, agreed but added perspective. He reminded listeners that icons before Raiola had faced the same scrutiny.

“Well, damn. They mad? I guess they were mad at Kobe when he tried to be like Jordan. He walked like him. He talked like him. He copied everything down to the elbow to the knee sleeve pulled down over his calf. Damn. There’re worse people you can emulate,” the Broncos legend said.

The Patrick Mahomes comparison isn’t surface-level either. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule has admitted Raiola patterned his game after the Chiefs QB and even trained with some quarterback gurus who mentored Mahomes.

This influence perhaps even showed in his recent matchup at Arrowhead, where Raiola tossed two touchdowns and carried himself with composure beyond his years.

Last, but most importantly, the youngster himself has leaned into the conversation, joking that he “can’t get mad at God for making me look like him.” At the same time, he’s been clear about his intentions: Patrick Mahomes may be the model, but the goal is to build his own legacy.

All told, for now, Raiola has the blessing of both Patrick Mahomes and NFL legends like Johnson and Sharpe. All he now needs to do is try matching the Chiefs star’s production to shush his haters. Definitely not an easy job, but hey, miracles do happen.