Brian O'Neill (American football) explained

Brian O'Neill
Current Team:Minnesota Vikings
Number:75
Position:Offensive tackle
Birth Date:15 September 1995
Birth Place:Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:7
Weight Lb:310
High School:Salesianum School
(Wilmington, Delaware)
College:Pittsburgh (2014–2017)
Draftyear:2018
Draftround:2
Draftpick:62
Pastteams:
Status:Active
Highlights:
  • Pro Bowl (2021)
  • First team All-ACC (2017)
  • Third-team All-ACC (2016)
  • Piesman Trophy Winner (2016)
Statleague:NFL
Statseason:2023
Statlabel1:Games played
Statvalue1:93
Statlabel2:Games started
Statvalue2:89
Pfr:O/ONeiBr00

Brian Cormac O'Neill (born September 15, 1995) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Early life

O'Neill attended Salesianum School in Wilmington, Delaware. Along with football, he also played basketball and lacrosse. Offensively as a senior he caught 33 passes for 614 yards and eight touchdowns. Defensively, he tallied 45 tackles, five sacks, 13 pass deflections, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.[1] A 3-star recruit, he committed to play football for Pittsburgh as a tight end in July 2013 over offers from Coastal Carolina, Old Dominion, and Tulane, among other offers.[2] [3]

College career

O'Neill redshirted as a true freshman in 2014.

O'Neill switched from tight end to offensive tackle in July 2015. Minus the first game of the 2015 season, O'Neill started every game for Pittsburgh from 2015-2017 (37 consecutive starts). In 2016 he was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Third-team[4] and in 2017 the All-ACC First-team.[5] After 2017, his redshirt junior season, he declared for the 2018 NFL draft.[6]

Professional career

O'Neill had an impressive performance at the 2018 NFL Combine. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.82 seconds, the fastest time among all offensive linemen and the best time for a lineman since 2013. It also was the fourth-fastest recorded time for an offensive lineman at the combine since 2006, trailing only Eagles' Lane Johnson (4.72), Saints' Terron Armstead (4.71) and Vikings teammate Aviante Collins (4.77). He also had the best time among offensive linemen in the three-cone drill, at 7.14 seconds.[7]

O'Neill was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[8] [9] He entered the season as a backup tackle behind starters Riley Reiff and Rashod Hill. He made his first career start in Week 6 at right tackle after Rashod Hill was moved to left tackle in place of an injured Riley Reiff. He maintained that starting role the rest of the season over Hill after Reiff returned from injury to play left tackle.

On September 8, 2021, O'Neill signed a five-year, $92.5 million contract extension with the Vikings.[10]

Following the 2021 season, O'Neill was named to the 2022 Pro Bowl, his first.[11]

On January 3, 2023, O'Neill was placed on injured reserve.[12] Shortly thereafter, he underwent surgery to repair a partially torn Achilles tendon.[13]

Personal life

O'Neill's father, Brendan, played football at Dartmouth and his mother, Elizabeth, swam at Northeastern. His older brother, Eamon O’Neill, was a two time Delaware player of the year for the Salesianum School soccer team. He went on to star at Northwestern. His uncle is Delaware Governor John Carney, who also played football at Dartmouth.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Brian O'Neill. The Official Athletic Site of the University of Pittsburgh. January 3, 2017.
  2. Web site: Sallies' TE O'Neill commits to Pitt. USA Today. January 3, 2018.
  3. Web site: Brian O'Neill, 2014 Tight End, Pittsburgh . 2024-01-08 . Rivals.com . en-US.
  4. Web site: ACSMA ANNOUNCES 2016 ALL-ACC FOOTBALL TEAMS. Atlantic Coast Conference. January 3, 2018.
  5. Web site: 2017 ALL-ACC FOOTBALL TEAMS ANNOUNCED. Atlantic Coast Conference. January 3, 2018.
  6. Web site: BRIAN O'NEILL LEAVES EARLY FOR THE NFL DRAFT. Pittsburgh Sports Now. January 3, 2018.
  7. Web site: Brian O'Neill runs fastest 40-yard dash among offensive linemen at NFL combine. Cardiac Hill. November 6, 2020.
  8. Web site: 2018 NFL Draft: Minnesota Vikings select Brian O'Neill. DailyNorseman.com. April 27, 2018. June 26, 2018.
  9. Web site: Vikings Sign 2nd-Round Pick Brian O'Neill to Contract. Vikings.com. May 4, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180504213858/https://www.vikings.com/news/article-1/Vikings-Sign-2nd-Round-Pick-Brian-ONeill-to-Contract/7976fcf3-0429-4089-8b1c-c816278f2837. May 4, 2018. dead.
  10. Web site: Brian O'Neill signs five-year extension with Minnesota Vikings worth $92.5 million, source says. ESPN.com. September 8, 2021.
  11. Web site: Smith . Eric . January 26, 2022 . Brian O'Neill Named to 2022 Pro Bowl . Vikings.com . 26 January 2022.
  12. Web site: Ragatz . Will . January 3, 2023 . Vikings Place Brian O'Neill, Austin Schlottmann on IR; Sign C Greg Mancz, OT Bobby Evans . 2023-05-17 . SI.com.
  13. Web site: Brian O'Neill Thankful for 'Smooth' Recovery, O'Line's Next Steps Together. November 24, 2023. vikings.com. en.