The Raiders were always going to select a quarterback during the 2023 NFL Draft. But the question was would the Raiders pick one at No. 7 or wait until later in the draft?
The Raiders decided to wait until the end of Round 4 before selecting a quarterback. But after Jimmy Garoppolo’s recent injury news, it’s a good thing the Raiders didn’t wait any longer.
In a recent article by Conor Orr of SI.com, he made 100 predictions heading into the 2023 season. One of those predictions is that fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell will start at least one game for the Raiders this year. Here are his thoughts on the quarterback situation for Las Vegas:
The Patriots, or any Patriots-adjacent franchise, can’t go a full season without obsessively plotting for a late-round quarterback to completely backstab the starter amid struggles. O’Connell, who started 26 games at Purdue, was taken with the last pick in the fourth round.
O’Connell is an NFL-ready quarterback whose best traits are his accuracy and anticipation. He doesn’t have a lot of mobility and his overall arm talent is just average.
But if Garoppolo does struggle to stay on the field during the 2023 season, don’t be surprised if we see the Raiders turn to O’Connell sooner rather than later.
