NFL Media Holding High Regard for Aidan O'Connell

The Las Vegas Raiders might have something special in 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell.

At this point in time, not many in the NFL world are very high on what Jimmy Garoppolo can do for the Las Vegas Raiders, and rightfully so.

With no way to predict how the injury-prone veteran quarterback's health will hold up over the course of 17 games and the fact that because of that, Garoppolo has no consistent track record, there are doubts floating all around this off-season move.

Fortunately, Garoppolo isn't Las Vegas' only option.

When discussing whether or not the two-time Super Bowl champion could be with the Silver and Black for the long haul on "NFL Total Access" on Friday, Pro Football Focus and NFL Draft analyst Trevor Sikkema shifted the topic.

"[T]his is an arms race here in this division, but there's a quarterback they drafted this past draft in Aidan O'Connell who, when you go back to when he was really playing well at Purdue, so two years ago, man, he was slinging it," Sikkema said. "He had an elite PFF grade and a big-time throw rate of 8 percent. Jimmy Garoppolo has never had a big-time throw percentage above 4 percent in his entire career for a single season. So, he might be that gunslinger type of player, who, if we start to get toward the end of the year and the Raiders are out of contention, they really might turn to O'Connell and see what he can do. Maybe get a couple of wins there down the stretch just because of what he's able to do and his fearlessness with his arm."

O'Connell had himself an outstanding career at Purdue, finishing as the program's all-time leader in completion percentage (66.7 percent) despite starting his tenure with the Boilermakers as a walk-on. 

He ended up recording 3,490 passing yards and 22 touchdowns when all was said and done.

O'Connell was a two-time All-Big Ten selection in his six seasons with the program.

The prospect was drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round of this year's NFL Draft, 135th overall.

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