Quarterback Aidan O’Connell has been the man under center for the Las Vegas Raiders for most of the 2023 season. The team moved away from veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo and has since had O’Connell manning the huddle. While it hasn’t been perfect for the rookie signal-caller, he’s out there taking his lumps and trying to get better each and every week.
O’Connell was a fourth-round selection by the Raiders earlier this year, but before that, he had a long and successful college football career.
Aidan O’Connell’s College Stats
O’Connell played his college ball at Purdue University before he came into the NFL as a 25-year-old rookie. While older than most rookies, O’Connell took a bit of a different path than many in the NFL.
O’Connell started his career as a preferred walk-on in 2017 and did not see action until the 2019 season. That year, he tallied three starts and played well enough to earn him the permanent starting job heading into 2020. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending injury that derailed his real first opportunity as the guy at Purdue.
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Eventually, in 2021, O’Connell’s college career took off and began to sustain. What he missed in longevity as the starting quarterback, he made up for in production when he did have the chance to play.
In his four seasons with the Boilermakers, O’Connell recorded 9,219 yards, 65 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions on a 66.7 completion percentage. He added to his legacy by becoming sixth all-time among Boilermakers in passing yards (9,219) and fifth in passing touchdowns (65).
Throughout his time as the starting QB, O’Connell earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2021 and 2022. He also led Purdue to a Music City Bowl victory in 2021 and made a Big Ten Championship Game appearance in 2022.
O’Connell’s Path to the Draft
After a college football career that started as a non-scholarship athlete and ended up being one of the more decorated statistical quarterbacks in Purdue history, O’Connell parlayed his skills into an NFL opportunity.
The Boilermaker was drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the 135th overall pick. He was the eighth QB taken, but since being drafted, O’Connell has appeared in several games as Las Vegas transitioned away from Garoppolo.
What O’Connell’s future holds is still unwritten, but if his past is any indication of what his career may look like, there should be no one who rules him out from being successful.
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