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In five games this season, Aidan O’Connell has thrown for 946 yards with three touchdowns and six interceptions. The jury is still out if he can be the Las Vegas Raiders‘ starting quarterback long-term.
Regardless, the team is likely to take a close look at the quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft class. While there are some big names at the top of the class, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports sees rising LSU star Jayden Daniels as a good fit in Las Vegas.
“[Jimmy] Garoppolo has not worked out in Sin City and Aidan O’Connell has hardly been better, so the franchise will assuredly make a move,” Edwards wrote in a November 20 column. “Currently projected to pick in the middle of the first round, the Raiders are in a position to add a player who has used a stellar senior season to boost his draft outlook.
“It is difficult to say which type of quarterback the franchise may favor considering it has not made a full-time head coaching hire yet.”
Daniels is in the midst of a breakout year where he’s thrown 36 touchdowns to just four interceptions. He’s also rushed for 1,014 yards with 10 more touchdowns on the ground. He’s a great dual-threat quarterback and could be available to the Raiders if they don’t have a top-10 draft pick.
Jayden Daniels Has Ties to Antonio Pierce
One aspect thing that could help Jayden Daniels’ chances of getting drafted by the Raiders is if interim head coach Antonio Pierce keeps the full-time job. Prior to transferring to LSU, Daniels was at Arizona State from 2019 to 2021 while Pierce was assistant coach there.
While Pierce was coaching the defensive side of the ball, there’s no doubt that the two know each other after spending three years together at the same program. The coach should be very familiar with Daniels’ ability on the field and his attitude off the field. He gives the Raiders unique insight on the quarterback if they decide to address the position early in the draft.
Now, Pierce is just the interim head coach so his thoughts on Daniels could be a moot point if the Raiders decide to go in another direction this offseason. For now, the Daniels-Pierce connection should be something to keep an eye on.
Does Aidan O’Connell Have Any Chance of Being Franchise QB?
It would be great for the Raiders if Aidan O’Connell showed signs of life over the last six games and proved that he should get a chance to be the starting quarterback next season. There are plenty of holes on the roster that could be addressed in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The problem facing O’Connell is that the upside is very limited. He’s not particularly athletic and is sloppy with the ball. He’s also 25, which is quite old for a rookie. The hope is that an older rookie quarterback could come in and be a bit more comfortable than a younger player but that hasn’t been the case.
O’Connell has shown some flashes so his chances of being the starting quarterback for the Raiders next season aren’t completely dead but he’s got to show the team a lot in the coming weeks if they’re going to decide against trying to find their next franchise quarterback in the draft next year.
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