Interview: Montana LB Patrick O’Connell makes long climb to NFL Draft

We recently sat down with Montana linebacker Patrick O’Connell to hear more about the long journey to make his professional football dreams come true.

If you want to know what Patrick O’Connell meant to Montana athletics, and specifically the Grizzlies football program, just look at the tunnel wall on your way out into Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Despite the fact that the Montana linebacker is still awaiting his own draft fate, it’s there that a Fathead decal of O’Connell is already properly placed—a marker intended to inspire and inform future Griz of the greatness that is possible when playing for the FCS program. For O’Connell, it’s a sign of how far he has already come, and a reminder in the face of any doubts as he looks to extend that journey to the next level.

O’Connell’s winding path

Nearly six years ago, O’Connell was a graduate of Kalispell Glacier High School with state championships in both basketball and football to his name. Yet, his goal was to play professional baseball—he was an all-state performer. The collegiate path first called him to Bismarck, North Dakota to play for the University of Mary Marauders where he could continue to sink his teeth into multiple sports with a baseball scholarship.

“I knew growing up I always wanted to play a professional sport, but for me, it was baseball,” said O’Connell in a recent interview with FanSided. “So I always dreamed of playing in the MLB, but I think it shifted my senior season of high school. That’s when I realized I was pretty good at football and it was just the beginning for me. It all took off from there.”

After a year at Mary, O’Connell decided to move back to his home state to compete for a spot in a sport in which he was clearly excelling. “Especially being from Montana, it was always a dream to be a part of the history of the University of Montana,” he said. It was a journey from the bottom, as a walk-on for the Griz, but it didn’t take long before he would turn heads once again.

From the scout team to the starting lineup, O’Connell began to flourish with further playing time and the production spoke for itself. As a redshirt junior, O’Connell put it all together in a package that garnered national attention. He earned All-American status from multiple media outlets, including the Associated Press, and he was one of three finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award—given annually to the best defender in FCS.

“After my junior season at the University of Montana, I think that’s when I realized there was a real shot or a real chance [to play professional football], but I never really let that get in my way,” said O’Connell. “I always worked harder because I knew that was an opportunity. It was a chance I just worked harder and harder for, since it’s a whole new level and a whole new game when you get to the next level.”

A real shot at the NFL

While his God-given talent and exceptional work ethic were allowing him to dominate at Montana O’Connell came into his senior season aware that he had a lot more to prove if he was ever going to turn the heads of NFL franchises. Putting up production against FCS competition wasn’t going to be enough, even with the added challenges of offenses scheming against him as a senior.

“I played a lot more in the box and in coverage my senior year because they were trying to get me different looks,” said O’Connell. “There were a lot of times where it’d be more predictable that I was coming off of the edge and stuff, so they put me in the box and in coverage a lot more my senior year.” Even with different assignments, O’Connell still managed to put up another 8 sacks and 14 tackles for loss in ’22 while also grabbing his first 2 career interceptions. This came on the heels of a 14-sack effort in ’21 where he also forced 4 fumbles.

That’s when the attention became obvious to O’Connell. Suddenly the NFL wasn’t just a dream. Instead, teams were sending representatives to see for themselves what sort of linebacker he might be at the next stage. “You see a lot of scouts roll in and stuff, too, but it was the people around me—coaches and trainers—who’d say it a little bit. They were also good about keeping me humble at the same time, so I was grateful for that,” said O’Connell.

A rigorous pre-draft season

Despite putting up a tremendous body of work for the Griz in the last few years, it’s not as if O’Connell could just sit back and wait for NFL teams to decide one way or the other on his professional stock. Shortly after his college career was officially over, O’Connell began his preparation for the 2023 Hula Bowl, a postseason all-star exhibition held in Orlando. For his part, O’Connell led his team in tackles (4).

From there, O’Connell headed to Orlando to work with esteemed coach Tom Shaw for his pre-draft workouts as he prepared for his pro day. Shaw’s team has worked with everyone from Calvin Johnson and Tom Brady to Dak Prescott and Saquon Barkley, which meant O’Connell was in good hands. It also meant staying very busy. “I was down there for three months, Monday through Saturday, working out every single day, multiple times per day, getting ready for my pro day,” he said.

The pro-day results spoke for themselves. As if O’Connell’s game tape isn’t impressive enough, O’Connell put up an eye-popping 38.5-inch vertical leap (tied for first at the NFL Combine), a 6.97 second time in the 3-cone drill (good for second if compared to Combine results), and a time of 4.28 seconds in the short shuttle (also second among LBs).

“I put my best foot forward and I think I got some attention from teams to keep playing at the next level,” said O’Connell. “So I can’t complain at all for the day that I had, and I know I put my all into it. So I’m pretty happy about that.”

Going back to his senior season, O’Connell says he’s still working on the points of emphasis given to him in his final year—of learning coverages and rounding out his game—but he’s excited to learn and grow. “There’s still work to do in those areas but I know and understand that and have been working on that a lot in my training in Florida as well. Now it’s just getting into a system and knowing and understanding where I need to be and then making that happen. I’ve got the footwork down and everything like that. It’s time to put it into place and making that happen.”

Will the NFL come calling?

At least one-quarter of all NFL teams have shown an interest in O’Connell and/or other Montana players this offseason, which signals that the linebacker is on the radar for some while raising questions about others. For his part, O’Connell can’t worry about whether or not he did enough—he’s done all that he can for the program and himself.

The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the teams that have taken a long look at O’Connell. Jalen Myrick, a college and pro scout for the team, has been in contact with O’Connell as a potential late-round addition, especially as general manager Brett Veach attempts to find core special teams players who can add depth on defense.

“I had a pretty long talk with [Myrick] about what position that they think and what position I think,” said O’Connell. “We talked a lot about special teams. We talked about coming in, working my butt off, and making it happen. … The Chiefs specifically said they see me playing at Will which I agree with. I said either Will or Mike as well, because I read keys really well within the box. But yeah, they said the Will position.

“Then I straight up told them, ‘Hey, if you’re coming to get me, whether it’s in the draft or as a free agent. I truly understand my role coming in to play on special teams and to back someone up. If you’re not drafted in the first or second round, then you’re typically not coming in to be a starter. And honestly, I’d love to play every single special teams and make any team that I’m on that much better.”

Beyond the Chiefs, a number of other teams were on hand to see what Montana might have to offer the NFL, including the Las Vegas Raider, Green Bay Packers, Washington Commanders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Francisco 49ers.

“They all wanted to talk to me specifically and individually. I’d say all the teams there were pretty interesting, at least from my perspective. Talking to others who were there watching, they think the same way. They seem like they all wanted to talk further after I went through all of my position drills,” said O’Connell.

Headed toward a resolution

With the 2023 NFL Draft finally coming into view, O’Connell will know his answer soon enough—or at least the first steps. If he’s drafted, or signed as a priority free agent, then his schedule will fill back up with offseason activities, rookie minicamps, and more. If not, he has a lot to consider but he’s surrounded by a lot of support either way.

O’Connell will marry his fiancé, Madisons, in July and a “big family” will encourage him no matter what happens this week.

“Right now there’s not a whole lot of emotion,” said O’Connell. “There’s a lot of sitting and waiting. I think I’m more anxious than anything just to get another opportunity to keep playing a game that I love. I’m just working out, staying ready, staying in shape, and waiting for that call.”

For his part, O’Connell says he’ll keep the draft festivities to a minimum. “I’m definitely going to be watching the draft with my family just hoping and praying to get that call. I don’t want to make it a huge deal.”

O’Connell also said he won’t be the only nervous one in his house. “My parents have been pretty nervous, even though they have no control over it or anything. I think they’re anxious as well. They’ve been following me the whole way and they’re excited to see what the future holds. They’ll be supporting me no matter what.”

No matter where his journey takes him, at least one hallway already testifies to Patrick O’Connell’s impact. Whether another awaits him is yet to be seen.