No QB in NFL Draft is as Pro Ready as Aidan O'Connell

The Las Vegas Raiders have the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and will likely select a quarterback. However, no quarterback in the draft is a pro ready as the quarterback already on their roster.

Nov 29, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) throws a pass during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders have had the worst or one of the worst quarterback rooms in the National Football League over the last couple of seasons. To matters worse, the Raiders have had four offensive coordinators in the last 29 games, which is unheard of.

There are also many other areas in which the Raiders need to improve. Cornerback, offensive line and running back are a few of that positions Las Vegas must improve over the upcoming offseason.

All of these things have led to the Raiders having subpar seasons over the last couple of seasons. However, football games rarely go as planned in the NFL and quarterbacks must be able to succeed even when they are in less than ideal situations.

No quarterback has done that more consistently for the Raiders over the last season-and-a-half than second-year quarterback Aidan O'Connell.

As a rookie, O'Connell was thrown into the fire by a head coach that did not believe in him when former Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels begrudginly gave O'Connell his first start on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers.

McDaniels left O'Connell out to dry as Khalil Mack would record six sacks. According to ESPN's Next Gen Stats, McDaniels only double-teamed Mack twice the entire game.

Still, O'Connell nearly won the game. Fast forward a few weeks, McDaniels was fired and O'Connell was elevated from third string quarterback to starting quarterback with a first time interim head coach and first time offensive coordinator.

O'Connell led one of the worst rosters in the NFL to a 5-4 record over the final half of the season. That 5-4 record was less that a handful of plays from being 6-3 or even 7-2.

Despite his success, his rookie campaign showed areas he needed to improve in. He and veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew competed in an offseason competition that Minshew somehow won.

This gave O'Connell more time to learn the quarterback position with no pressure to go out and win games. Then, O'Connell lit the Kansas City Chiefs up for 340 yards and two touchdowns, after barely playing this season and only recently coming off of Injured Reserve.

Multiple times over the last two seasons, O'Connell has shown what he can do when given a fair shot and legitimate tools to work with. Yet, the Raiders continue to overlook him.

With a top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft likely on the way, the Raiders will again be tied to multiple quarterbacks entering the league, but this time, they will have a shot to actually land one of the most talented quarterbacks in the draft.

The Raiders have gone tried multiple other more experienced options over O'Connell, but none of them have performed better with this roster than O'Connell. Now, they will likely try a younger quarterback with zero NFL experience over O'Connell.

As talented as the top quarterbacks coming into the league are, none of them are more equipped to deal with this Raiders roster than O'Connell. None of the quarterbacks entering the league this season are better than O'Connell with the current Raiders roster or a marginally better one after the upcoming draft and free agency period.

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