The first week of preseason football showed off the debut of the rookie class around the NFL. Preseason games are huge for rookies, but especially for the quarterback class. All eyes tend to get focused on the most important position in professional sports.
The draft class of 2023 saw several QBs take the field in preseason Week 1. While C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson all had notable (good and bad) performances, it was a Day 3 passer who turned in the best opening weekend.
Raiders fourth-rounder Aidan O’Connell turned in an outstanding game in Las Vegas’ 34-6 rout of the San Francisco 49ers. O’Connell got the start and played deep into the game in part because there was no reason to pull the Purdue product.
O’Connell lit up the Niners defense, completing 15 of his 18 pass attempts for 141 yards and a touchdown. Arguably his best throw of the night, a deep shot to WR Tre Tucker, clanked to the ground as a drop, too. He was poised, efficient and even flashed some pocket mobility.
After the game, former NFL coach Steve Mariuccui couldn’t contain his excitement for O’Connell, who led Purdue to the Big Ten championship game in 2022.
"This kid is going to be a starter in the National Football League!" @SteveMariucci thinks we'll be seeing a lot more of @Raiders rookie QB Aiden O'Connell 😤💪 pic.twitter.com/UZoHkLx0mZ
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) August 13, 2023
O’Connell has the advantage of already being 25 and comes from a pro-friendly offense in college. For the Raiders, getting a ready-to-roll backup behind oft-injured starter Jimmy Garoppolo was a prerogative. The first look at Aidan O’Connell has to be encouraging for head coach Josh McDaniels.