Aidan O’Connell, the 135th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has been selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round. Before heading into the NFL, the late-round pick had heard his name being compared to Tom Brady.
The Raiders new QB appeared in 12 games in 2022, leading the Big Ten in the number of passes each game (290.8) and finishing per game (26.7). Aidan proved to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country over time, becoming his school’s all-time leader in completion percentage (66.7%), passing efficiency (141.8), and 500-yard passing games (2).
What makes O’Connell comparable to Tom Brady?
You might be surprised to hear the name O’Connell mentioned in relation to future Hall of Famer Tom Terrific. This comparison is driven by two factors. The first is a late draft selection. The 24-year-old was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL draft, in addition, Brady was drafted in the sixth round as the 199th pick, nevertheless, he went on to become the franchise’s all-time leader in all available quarterback statistics.
From our NFL Draft broadcast: The #Raiders traded up to take #Purdue QB Aidan O'Connell, whose release has been compared to Tom Brady. pic.twitter.com/wWZH60lsVF
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 29, 2023
With the Patriots, he threw for 74,571 yards and 541 touchdowns, both records for a single team in NFL history, while also leading them to six Super Bowl titles.
The final and most important factor in the comparison is both quarterbacks’ quick throwing release. Brady’s average Time To Throw in 2021 was 2.50 seconds, making him second-fastest in the NFL behind Ben Roethlisberger. Like TD, ex-Purdue QB has a quick release for which he made a name for himself prior to having a successful career. He also has good accuracy on shorter throws, nevertheless, Tom was not regarded as having a high accuracy rate.
What did the ex-Purdue star reply in relation to the comparison?
The veteran quarterback was asked about the comparison during a conference call on April 29. He responded quickly, citing his throwing ability as his strength.
“I think it’s just something I try to do. I know it’s one of my strengths and something I try to do as best as I can,” he said . “It’s kind of what got me to be able to, in the first part, get a chance to play at Purdue.”
The star player has worked hard to master the skill. He is not one to waste a single day because his dream is as big as a mountain and he is already keeping himself busy in practice sessions to get there.
“I definitely come with a growth mindset, with a learner’s attitude that I want to just soak in as much information as possible,” O’Connell said. “Expectations are really just to come in and work as hard as possible to be the best teammate that I can be, to try to be the best player I can be and just to squeeze every bit of talent and whatever I have inside of me to try to help the organization, to help my teammates.”
Despite being one of the most underrated QBs in the 2023 draft, the Raiders expect his output to be comparable to Brady in the future.
