It wasn’t a surprise to see the Raiders select a quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft. While many believed that the Raiders wanted to grab Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud, they were just never in a position to draft either one of those quarterbacks.
Instead, the Raiders waited until the third day of the NFL Draft before grabbing another quarterback. The Raiders used one of their fourth-round picks on Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell, who was a highly productive passer in the Big Ten.
But what will his role be for the 2023 season? And does he have any chance of getting on the field this year? In a recent article by ESPN, they wrote about O’Connell’s fit with the Raiders. Here is a snippet of their thoughts on the new quarterback for the Raiders:
The Raiders entered the draft wanting a developmental QB whose skill set fit their offense and who would be under team control for the foreseeable future. Jimmy Garoppolo signed a big-money free agent deal to be the starter, and 14-year veteran Brian Hoyer already has four seasons in McDaniels’ system (with the Patriots), so O’Connell should begin his Raiders career being eased into the offense as QB3.
The expectation is that he will be the No. 3 QB to start the year, but could eventually kick Brian Hoyer off the roster with a strong training camp. That means O’Connell would just be one snap away from getting on the field at any moment. And with Jimmy Garoppolo’s injury history, don’t be surprised if we see O’Connell on the field this season with the Raiders
