Pete Thamel: Purdue QB Aidan O'Connell expected to skip Citrus Bowl, declare for 2023 NFL Draft

Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Aidan O’Connell is expected to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. O’Connell will also opt out of the Boilermakers’ postseason bowl game, the Citrus Bowl, versus the LSU Tigers on Jan. 1. in order to prepare for the draft.

O’Connell is the No. 15-ranked quarterback heading to the draft, per ESPN’s best available board. This season, he tallied 3,490 passing yards with a 64.1% completion rate and a 22-to-13 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

With O’Connell not playing vs. LSU on Jan. 2 in Orlando, Purdue likely will turn to sixth-year senior Austin Burton to start. He has been at Purdue for the last three seasons after transferring from UCLA, where he started one game (2019). Burton has not started a game at Purdue. He has played in 12 games for the Boilermakers, hitting 29-of-39 passes for 243 yards with three TDs and an interception. Burton has also rushed 26 times for 80 yards.

O’Connell joined the Boilermakers in 2017 as a walk-on. He did not play in 2018 but then took the reigns in 2019. Over four seasons, he racked up 9,129 passing yards and 67 total touchdowns.

More on the 2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft takes place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event location this year is the plaza just outside of Union Station.

Round 1 of the NFL Draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft broadcast runs throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.

To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility. One hundred underclassmen gained approval for last year’s draft. Seventy-three of those 100 underclassmen received special eligibility while 27 of them were underclassmen who had completed their college degrees.

The 2023 NFL scouting combine will take place from Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis.