Brian Cormac O'Neill (born September 15, 1995) is an American football offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers.
 O'Neill in 2020 | |||||
| No. 75 – Minnesota Vikings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | September 15, 1995 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 310 lb (141 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Salesianum School (Wilmington, Delaware) | ||||
| College: | Pittsburgh (2014–2017) | ||||
| NFL draft: | 2018 / Round: 2 / Pick: 62 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||
Early years edit
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 edit
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 edit
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]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 O'Neill's NFL Combine workout | |
| O'Neill gets drafted by Minnesota |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 6+7⁄8 in (2.00 m) |
297 lb (135 kg) |
34+1⁄8 in (0.87 m) |
9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.82 s | 1.70 s | 2.83 s | 4.50 s | 7.14 s | 29.5 in (0.75 m) |
8 ft 11 in (2.72 m) |
22 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[8][9] | ||||||||||||
O'Neill was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[10][11] 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.[12]
Following the 2021 season, O'Neill was named to the 2022 Pro Bowl, his first.[13]
On January 3, 2023, O'Neill was placed on injured reserve.[14] Shortly thereafter, he underwent surgery to repair a partially torn Achilles tendon.[15]
Personal life edit
O'Neill's father, Brendan, played football at Dartmouth and his mother, Elizabeth, swam at Northeastern.[1] 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.
References edit
- ^ a b "Brian O'Neill". The Official Athletic Site of the University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- ^ "Sallies' TE O'Neill commits to Pitt". USA Today. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ "Brian O'Neill, 2014 Tight End, Pittsburgh". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ "ACSMA ANNOUNCES 2016 ALL-ACC FOOTBALL TEAMS". Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ "2017 ALL-ACC FOOTBALL TEAMS ANNOUNCED". Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ "BRIAN O'NEILL LEAVES EARLY FOR THE NFL DRAFT". Pittsburgh Sports Now. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ "Brian O'Neill runs fastest 40-yard dash among offensive linemen at NFL combine". Cardiac Hill. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- ^ "Brian O'Neill Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ "2018 NFL Draft Scout Brian O'Neill College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "2018 NFL Draft: Minnesota Vikings select Brian O'Neill". DailyNorseman.com. April 27, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ "Vikings Sign 2nd-Round Pick Brian O'Neill to Contract". Vikings.com. May 4, 2018. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018.
- ^ "Brian O'Neill signs five-year extension with Minnesota Vikings worth $92.5 million, source says". ESPN.com. September 8, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Eric (January 26, 2022). "Brian O'Neill Named to 2022 Pro Bowl". Vikings.com. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ Ragatz, Will (January 3, 2023). "Vikings Place Brian O'Neill, Austin Schlottmann on IR; Sign C Greg Mancz, OT Bobby Evans". SI.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ "Brian O'Neill Thankful for 'Smooth' Recovery, O'Line's Next Steps Together". vikings.com. Retrieved November 24, 2023.