Raiders Urged to Add Award-Winning QB to Replace Aidan O’Connell

The Las Vegas Raiders decided to forego adding a quarterback early in last year’s draft and decided to roll with Jimmy Garoppolo and fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell. Through 11 games, Garoppolo has the worst interception percentage in the NFL (5.4%) and O’Connell has the third-worst (4.1%).

Unless O’Connell starts showing a lot more, the Raiders will likely be using a first-round pick on a quarterback in 2024. Ian Valentino predicts that they will draft Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

“Michael Penix Jr. has helped his stock significantly this year, even if his game has shown more cracks recently,” Valentino wrote in a November 25 mock draft. “Like Tua Tagovailoa, Penix is a pocket passer with an incredible touch on his throws. Yet, he struggles to create on the move or while under pressure especially well, so Vegas needs a top-notch scheme or blockers in front of him.”

Penix has had a big rise in the last two years and was the AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2022. He’s thrown 90 touchdowns to just 30 interceptions for the Huskies over the past two seasons. He’s a little bit older as he’ll be 24 at the start of next season but that shouldn’t be enough to keep him from getting drafted in the first couple of rounds.

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Michael Penix Jr. Draft Profile

Michael Penix Jr. isn’t going to blow teams away with his athleticism. What makes him a strong prospect is his accuracy and ability to avoid making bad throws. However, his ceiling might be quite low, according to Ian Valentino of Pro Football Network.

“Penix closely resembles Teddy Bridgewater, except he’s left-handed. Compared to NFL starters, Penix has a thinner frame that is not overly athletic and lacks good arm strength,” Valentino wrote in a September 2 column. “But he plays to his strengths as well as anyone, mitigating the lack of velocity or creative juices that would expose the offense to mistakes.

“He’ll need playmakers who either easily separate or dominate at the catch point to be a serviceable NFL starter.”

Bridgewater has been a backup for much of his career so fans might not be too excited about that comparison. That said, Penix has shown a lot this season for Washington and he could still have more upside than a quarterback like Bridgewater. There are likely three or four better prospects in next year’s draft but he’d make sense if the Raiders have a pick in the middle of the first round.

Can Aidan O’Connell Still Win the Long-Term Job?

Aidan O’Connell has a lot to prove in the coming weeks if he hopes to be an NFL starting quarterback. He was excellent in the preseason but his play in the regular season has been below average. The concern with him is that he has very limited upside.

He’s already 25 and not very athletic. He’s not a young raw prospect who should need a few seasons to develop. If he’s not good by the end of the season, it’s difficult to see how he’ll ever be an impact player. He’s got six more games to prove that he deserves a shot to be a starter or he could end up being a backup for a long time.