The Cleveland Browns star Dorian Thompson-Robinson hit the headlines after making one of the best debuts through two games, debuting in the Hall of Fame Game and later playing against the Washington Commanders. However, the NFL witnessed its best of 2023 rookie class in the Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell in Week 1 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Aidan turned heads several times before heading to the league due to his excellent efficiency during his time at Purdue and set the school record for career completion percentage as well before finishing with a record-breaking 66.7 career completion percentage.
Aidan O’Connell’s exceptional NFL debut
The Raiders clinched a 34-7 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in a thrilling preseason game on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium and kudos to their promising star O’Connell. He threw for 141 yards on 15 of 18 passing for touchdowns while being quarterbacked three TD drives.
.@Raiders @aidanoc Aidan O’Connell was the last pick of the 4th round and was the best rookie QB in the preseason. Wanna see more…please! #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/44cV0eMEc4
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 14, 2023
The 24-year-old played in the first three-quarters of the Las Vegas-based franchise’s first NFL preseason contest before leaving with them up 24-7 and ensuring a victory at the end. He appeared in most of the time of the matchup as the Raiders starter Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t take a snap against San Francisco. The Raiders drafted this young star in the fourth round of the NFL Draft this year out of Purdue.
Can Aidan O’Connell steal Jimmy Garoppolo’s starting QB position?
O’Connell has been practicing behind Las Vegas’ QB1 Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer. Given two veterans on the roster, the wish of becoming the Raiders starter in the near soon might be a daydream for Aidan, albeit some equations say something else.
Jimmy has a long injury history and he didn’t take part in organized team activities of minicamp due to a broken left foot. The team has a huge concern for their dual-threat, but Brian having prolonged experience is already there to take the 31-year-old star’s place being the No. 2 QB.
Nevertheless, Hoyer is 37 years old already and in that case, the Raiders coaches might want to consider O’Connell to fulfill their long-term needs at the position. The No.2 QB also heaped praise on the young star recently.
“He’s (O’Connell) done a great job.[T]his is not an easy offense to learn… He’s done a really good job of learning it. He’s not making a lot of mental mistakes, which early on – I mean look, when I was a rookie, you’re swimming at some point. He’s done a great job of staying on schedule, and he does a great job. He’s throwing the ball really well.”
The NFL fans started heaping praise on Aidan following the match. One fan compared him with the retired NFL GOAT Tom Brady saying,” Looks like Brady 2.0 Baldy.”
Looks like Brady 2.0 Baldy
— RICH (@RRICH1990) August 14, 2023
A netizen wrote, “Love it! Baldy you always have the best breakdowns. Appreciate ya.”
Love it! Baldy you always have the best breakdowns. Appreciate ya
— James (@JustWinBaby801) August 14, 2023
A user wrote he didn’t want Las Vegas to draft this QB, but he is now thankful to them for drafting him.
Might not be the QB I wanted them to draft…but he is the QB we got. Go Raiders #RaiderNation
— FiftyWASthenewFifty (@Herbo_Morriz) August 14, 2023
O’Connell revealed he is not focusing on the long-term, albeit he is expected to secure the long-time trust of the Raiders given his phenomenal improvement and incredible performance in this short tenure.
What’s your take on Aidan’s recent performance? Let us know your opinions in the comments.
