What Ziegler, Raiders Saw in QB Aidan O'Connell
In this story:
The Las Vegas Raiders needed depth within their quarterback room heading into the 2023 NFL Draft.
They accomplished that by picking up Aidan O'Connell of Purdue with the 135th overall pick on Saturday.
O'Connell emulates a true underdog story, originally joining Purdue as a walk-on and finishing his college career as one of the best quarterbacks the program ever had.
"I think [O'Connell] started as the eighth-string quarterback at Purdue and worked his way all the way up and eventually became a starter there," Raiders General Manager Dave Ziegler told the media on Saturday. "A lot of things [stood out about O'Connell].
"I'd say the one thing about quarterbacks that you don't get to see if you're just watching tape, or if you're just watching games is, I'd say, over 50 percent of their success rate is really about what they're made up from the neck up. Intelligence, ability to process, those types of intangibles, leadership. And we felt like he has a lot of those different intangible qualities that we think are really, really important to have any chance to be successful in the league at quarterback.
"Also, I just liked the tape, to be honest with you. I watched him at the end of October, and I walked down to Josh McDaniels' office – he wasn't going to see him for another three or four months – and said: 'When you watch this kid, this is going to be a guy that you like.' So I think a lot of the things that he did at Purdue, some of the things that he showed – there are areas to grow into, but he showed a lot of the things that we wanted from the quarterback position. And then when we got to meet him and spend time with him, he confirmed a lot of the, let’s say, 'neck up traits,' that we look for."
Round 1 No. 7 overall pick: Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech
Round 2 No. 35 overall pick: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
Round 3 No. 70 overall: Byron Young, DT, Alabama
Round 3 No. 100 overall: Tre Tucker, WR, Cincinnati
Round 4 No. 104 overall: Jakorian Bennett, CB, Maryland
Round 4 No. 135 overall: Aidan O'Connell, QB, Purdue
Round 5 No. 170 overall: Christopher Smith II, S, Georgia
Round 6 No. 203 overall: Amari Burney, LB, Florida
Round 7 No. 231 overall: Nesta Jade Silvera, DT, Arizona State
Please tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
