In case you missed it, a photo of a Patrick Mahomes look-alike made the rounds on social media on July 31.
Nebraska Football’s X account originally posted the picture of quarterback Dylan Raiola arriving at training camp on July 30. But it didn’t truly take off until ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter shared it the following afternoon.
“Five-star QB Dylan Raiola pulled up to Nebraska camp looking like Patrick Mahomes,” Schefter captioned. And the resemblance is truly uncanny.
Many reacted to Schefter’s post — which currently has over one million views — as well as the original. Before long, former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill even got in on the fun.
“Boy ain’t no way 😂,” Hill said, tagging Mahomes’ account. That prompted a response from the MVP QB himself, who voiced: “That’s my lil cuzzo.”
As Mahomes gains more and more popularity as the unquestioned face of the entire NFL, it’s safe to assume that younger athletes will mirror his look. Whether it’s the haircut, the wide Oakley sunglasses or the facial hair.
Raiola may have done that jokingly in his arrival, but there’s a connection between the two signal-callers too — as Mahomes alluded. Husker Extra reporter Sam McKewon said during an April interview that the Nebraska freshman had been training with Mahomes’ personal trainer, Bobby Stroupe.
“Bobby [Stroupe] has a lot of things that he does,” Raiola said. “I think the best thing he focuses on is flexibility in uncomfortable positions. Being strong…trying to stay loose, stay flexible, avoiding hits. And when you’re taking hits, you become durable.”
The college QB also noted that he’d try to get some “on-field work” with Mahomes this summer if the two are training with Stroupe at the same time.
Patrick Mahomes & Dylan Raiola Have in Fact Met Each Other in Person
After the look-alike photo went viral, Ben Stevens of SportsGrid cleared one thing up for fans.
“Before you ask ‘has anyone ever seen Patrick Mahomes & Dylan Raiola in the same room before…?’ Yes, yes they have,” Stevens tweeted, sharing a picture of Mahomes and Raiola training together with Stroupe.
“I just want to be around greatness,” Raiola told McKewon when asked about working out with Mahomes. “Obviously, he’s going down as one of the greats already. But just trying to take it all in and elevate my game as much as I can.”
Raiola will attempt to help turn around the Nebraska football program during his first collegiate campaign in 2024.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Could Have New LT in 2024
It’s looking more and more likely that Mahomes will have a new left tackle blocking for him this season — meaning the return of Donovan Smith is no longer expected.
Arrowhead Pride beat reporter Pete Sweeney provided an update on the LT battle on July 28, listing rookie Kingsley Suamataia as his No. 1 riser of training camp so far.
“I would not call it a perfect camp for Suamataia, but I’m not sure that was to be expected for a rookie entering the NFL. After the first few days of rotating with Wanya Morris, Suamataia has been taking all the top-team left tackle reps in padded work,” he explained.
Continuing: “At times, Morris has looked more solid than Suamataia: in particular, in pass pro. But the Chiefs remain bullish.”
He quoted head coach Andy Reid as evidence of that.
“You’ve got to be able to back-to-back-to-back these things, and he’s working his tail off doing that,” Reid said of Suamataia. “And then the mental part. We’re throwing a ton at him, but I like the way he’s going about it. I like the way he’s fighting in there. He’s going to be OK as we roll here.”
On the July 29 episode of “41 is the Mic” with KC media members Matt Derrick and Nick Jacobs, the latter agreed with Sweeney, stating that Suamataia has the clear lead in the left tackle battle in his eyes.
To Jacobs, the major difference between the two has been Suamataia’s learning from his mistakes — displaying that he’s coachable — while Morris continues to struggle with the same technical errors that he did as a rookie. This starting competition should carry on throughout training camp and the preseason.
