The awards and recognition just keep coming in for Aidan O’Connell. He received a lot of praise this week for his excellent play against the 49ers as he led the offense up and down the field.
O’Connell had just three incompletions in the game, two of which were drops by fellow rookie Tre Tucker. He was nearly flawless in his first NFL action and ended up being the second-highest-graded quarterback of the week.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they named O’Connell as their “Offensive Player of the Week” for his outstanding performance against the 49ers. Here is a snippet of what they had to say about the fourth-round pick from Purdue:
The Raiders drafted O’Connell out of Purdue in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and anyone excited about his long-term potential won’t have had that enthusiasm dampened after this week. O’Connell went 15-for-18 for 141 yards and a touchdown from 19 dropbacks, finishing the game with two big-time throws.
O’Connell was fantastic in Week 1 of the preseason and there wasn’t a more impressive rookie performance. Now, there is some pressure for O’Connell to show that he isn’t a fluke and that he is someone the Raiders can rely on if they need him in the regular season.
Needless to say, all eyes will be on the fourth-round pick this week when the Raiders take on the Rams in Los Angeles.
