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Aidan O'Connell on Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer

Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell talks about being mentored by veteran quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer.

There have been plenty of areas to watch during the Las Vegas Raiders training camp. One of those areas, and which may be the most important, is the Raiders quarterback room.

The Raiders quarterback room is led by starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, second-string quarterback Brian Hoyer, and third-string rookie quarterback Aiden O'Connell. Second-year quarterback Chase Garbers out of the University of California is the fourth-string quarterback.

The Raiders are fortunate to have players in their quarterback room who have played and experienced being a starting quarterback for many seasons. Garoppolo and Hoyer are veterans who have helped younger quarterbacks like O'Connell and Garbers.

O'Connell had the chance to speak with the media about what his first year of training camp has been like so far. He also shared what is like having quarterbacks like Garoppolo and Hoyer, who bring him guidance on how to be a quarterback at the highest level.

"Awesome," O'Connell said. "I mean 25 years in the league between them and they've seen a lot of football, played a lot of football, so they've been super supportive, have challenged me, have just let me into their mind really to know what they're thinking and what their thought processes are on each play. Again, they've both been in the system before and I've had success, so it's been awesome having those guys in the room to learn from them even if they're not saying anything to me, just taking mental reps and listening to what they say and watching what they do." 

The rookie quarterback out of Purdue still has plenty to learn as he enters his rookie season with the Raiders. During his four years with the Boilermakers, he played 33 games and finished with 9,219 passing yards. He ended up being Purdue's best quarterback of all time. 

The Raiders selected O'Connell with the 135th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

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