It certainly wasn’t an easy rookie season for Tyree Wilson. The rookie from Texas Tech dealt with a foot injury all offseason that limited his impact early in the year. Wilson struggled to create any real pressure in the first half of the season and essentially benched at one point.
But the good news for the Raiders and Wilson is that he stepped it up in the second half of the year. Playing more as an interior player, Wilson saw his effectiveness increase and his efficiency. He finished the year with 3.5 sacks and a bunch of pressures.
Here is what Pro Football Focus had to say about the No. 7 pick from the 2023 class and how he fared as a rookie:
Playing almost exclusively as a pass rusher, Wilson generated four pressures, including his fourth career sack, against Denver. His 64.4 pass-rush grade was his second-best mark in any game this season. Wilson racked up 15 pressures in his final five games after collecting just nine through Week 12.
His potential emergence is worth watching next year as the Raiders continue to search for a consistent bookend to pair with Maxx Crosby.
Wilson’s improvements, along with the development of Malcolm Koonce, are reasons to be excited about this defense moving forward. Wilson will now be fully healthy entering the 2024 offseason and should look dramatically better in Year 2.
Will he ever reach the potential of a former top-10 pick? That remains to be seen. But it was encouraging to see him improve significantly over the final two months of the season.
