The rookie season of Tyree Wilson is in the books and it certainly was an up-and-down year for the EDGE rusher from Texas Tech. Things started to click down the stretch for Wilson with the Raiders using him more as an interior rusher. But did the Raiders get this pick right?
In a recent article by ESPN, they redrafted the first two rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft. In their redraft, the Raiders did not select Wilson at No. 7. Instead, they took Paris Johnson Jr., an offensive tackle from Ohio State. Here is what senior writer Paul Gutierrez had to say about that decision:
The Raiders were all about drafting Johnson to solidify the right side of the offensive line … but then the Cardinals thwarted their plans one pick before Las Vegas got on the clock.
So the Raiders drafted Wilson, who was coming off right foot surgery that would severely slow his development. Johnson started 17 games for Arizona, so with him still available in this re-draft, the Raiders strike. Wilson finished the season with 3.5 sacks, two of which came in his final four games.
The Raiders knew that Wilson would take a while to develop when they selected him in Round 1, especially since he was coming off a serious foot injury. But the hope is that we would see a little more from Wilson in Year 1.
Time will tell if this was the right pick for the Raiders, but needless to say, Year 2 will be huge for Wilson. He needs to develop into an every-down starter and someone who can create pressure opposite Maxx Crosby. If that doesn’t happen, then it will be fair to criticize this pick.
