Brian O'Neill (American football)

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 at Pittsburgh.

Brian O'Neill
No. 75 – Minnesota Vikings
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1995-09-15) September 15, 1995
Wilmington, Delaware
Height:6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight:297 lb (135 kg)
Career information
High school:Salesianum School
(Wilmington, Delaware)
College:Pittsburgh
NFL Draft:2018 / Round: 2 / Pick: 62
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-ACC (2017)
  • Third-team All-ACC (2016)
  • Piesman Trophy Winner(2016)
Conference
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2020
Games played:46
Games started:42
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

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] He committed to play football for the Pittsburgh Panthers as a tight end in July 2013.[2]

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-ACC Third Team[3] and in 2017 the All-ACC First Team.[4] After 2017, his redshirt junior season, he declared for the 2018 NFL Draft.[5]

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.[6]

External video
O'Neill's NFL Combine workout
O'Neill gets drafted by Minnesota
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 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 1⁄2 in
(0.75 m)		 8 ft 11 in
(2.72 m)		 22 reps
All values from NFL Combine[7]

O'Neill was drafted 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.

Personal life

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.

References
  1. "Brian O'Neill". The Official Athletic Site of the University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  2. "Sallies' TE O'Neill commits to Pitt". USA Today. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  3. "ACSMA ANNOUNCES 2016 ALL-ACC FOOTBALL TEAMS". Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  4. "2017 ALL-ACC FOOTBALL TEAMS ANNOUNCED". Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  5. "BRIAN O'NEILL LEAVES EARLY FOR THE NFL DRAFT". Pittsburgh Sports Now. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  6. "Brian O'Neill runs fastest 40-yard dash among offensive linemen at NFL combine". Cardiac Hill. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  7. "NFL Draft & Combine Profile - BRIAN O'NEILL | NFL.com". NFL. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  8. "2018 NFL Draft: Minnesota Vikings select Brian O'Neill". DailyNorseman.com. April 27, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  9. "Vikings Sign 2nd-Round Pick Brian O'Neill to Contract". Vikings.com. May 4, 2018. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018.
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