Aidan O'Connell: The Underdog Story of the Las Vegas Raiders Future Starter
By CJ Errickson
The Las Vegas Raiders 2023 fourth-round draft pick, Aidan O'Connell, has been flying under the radar his whole life. O'Connell is one of six children who hail from the small town of Lincolnshire, Illinois; which only has a population of roughly 8,000.
As the middle of five boys in a small Chicago suburb known for big business, an NFL quarterback was one of the most unlikely products from the area.
Aidan O'Connell's high school journey is unprecedented
Aidan attended Stevenson High School where he played both basketball and football. While most NFL prospects are high school standouts, O'Connell only started one season for the Patriots.
However, in the lone season that he started - he set impressive school records in both yards (2,74)1 and touchdowns (26) thrown. As a result of his lack of experience, the Illinois native did not have many options to choose from to play football at the collegiate level. Not one NCAA Division I program offered him a scholarship, so instead - he took matters into his own hands.
The Purdue Boilermakers took him on as a walk-on, and the rest of his story began.