Dreams pertaining to the NFL Draft come in all shapes and sizes. Some wish to be the star of the show by being the first overall pick, while others are simply hoping to land with a team that’s a bit closer to home. In the case of Ryan Fitzpatrick, it was the latter.
Advertisement
Josh McDaniels, the then Patriots QB coach told him that the team had got three picks in the seventh round of the Draft and they will pick somebody. It was Fitzpatrick’s draft year and these words from the Patriots’ future offensive coordinator gave him some hope about joining them.
Unfortunately, things took a turn on draft night. On the latest episode of the Fitz and Whit podcast, the former journeyman explained the rollercoaster of emotions that the Patriots sent him on that night.
“I’m sitting there on draft day… my name doesn’t get called, my name doesn’t get called, and with the 200 and whatever pick the New England Patriots select Matt Cassel. And I’m like “Who the **** is Matt Cassel?” At that point nobody had ever heard of him… I was like my career is over before it even started. I will not play in the NFL, they are drafting guys that I haven’t even heard of.”
Realizing that would have made him coworkers with Fitzpatrick, Kevin O’Connell, who served as a temporary passing option for the Patriots amidst Tom Brady’s ACL injury, couldn’t contain his excitement after realizing the butterfly effect of the decision.
“So you’re telling me that, when Tom went down in 2008, it could have been me and you in the quarterback room? Fitzy, how can I help ya, man? How can I help ya?”
“No it would’ve been the other way around. You’re the one with the 66.7% completion percentage,” Fitzpatrick jokingly retorted.
While his playing days in the NFL were shortlived, O’Connell did manage to play in two different games for New England that season.
Completing four of his six pass attempts for a total of 23 passing yards, with his longest completion being good for 12 yards, O’Connell does indeed have a career record of 1-1 with a completion percentage of 66.7%. His contributions to the NFL may not be as large as Fitzpatrick’s, but at least he’ll always have one statistic to hang his hat on.
Thankfully, the St. Louis Rams managed to save Fitzpatrick from his existential nightmare by selecting him with the 250th overall pick in the 2005 draft, proving that there was in fact a place for him in the NFL after all.
