Rookie QB Aidan O’Connell was one of the biggest surprises of the preseason and he was among the highest-graded rookies in the NFL. However, he was not the highest-graded player for the Raiders in Week 1 of the preseason.
That honor belongs to TE Cole Fotheringham, who had a monster day as a receiver for the Raiders. He finished the game with a grade of 94.3, which was the highest among all tight ends in the NFL in the first week of the preseason. Here is what Pro Football Focus had to say about the veteran tight end from Week 1:
Three Raiders finished with 90.0-plus grades, including rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who earned Offensive Player of the Week honors. Fotheringham, a 2022 undrafted free agent, hauled in five passes for 71 yards His 7.10 yards per route ranked first among all players in preseason Week 1 with at least 10 receiving snaps.
Fotheringham has a rough road to make the 53-man roster as Michael Mayer and Austin Hooper are ahead of him. But performances like this will go a long way. Fotheringham has now officially put himself on the map as he looks for a way to make the team.
