There were a lot of rumors swirling around about which direction the Las Vegas Raiders would go with their first-round pick. Some people thought that a quarterback would be in their future, whether it was via trading up or one sliding down the board. Others believed that a cornerback, such as Christian Gonzalez, would be the selection.
Despite Gonzalez and one of the top quarterback prospects, Will Levis, both being on the board, the Raiders went in another direction. With the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Las Vegas selected Texas Tech pass rusher, Tyree Wilson.
There were some debates leading up to the draft that Wilson could get selected ahead of Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. The Raiders are certainly happy that didn’t occur, as it meant the freakishly athletic Wilson is now heading to Sin City.
It was a selection that many people thought highly of. One of those people was Pete Prisco of CBS Sports. Prisco handed out an A grade to the Raiders for the pick, lauding the job of general manager Dave Ziegler for addressing a major need with a value pick.
“I love this pick, one of the best of the day. If Wilson’s injured foot checks out, which it certainly has for the Raiders, he’s going to be a big-time end in their defense to go with Maxx Crosby for a long time. He has all the traits you want in an edge rusher.”
The Raiders thought they had found their bookend for Maxx Crosby last year in free agency. They signed Chandler Jones away from the Arizona Cardinals, trading away Yannick Ngakoue as a result. Jones proved to be a major bust, picking up only 4.5 sacks in 2022.
Jones had only half of a sack in the first 11 weeks of the season. It was in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Chargers that he recorded his first full one of the season, racking up 3.0 in the game. He picked up another the following week against the Los Angeles Rams.
With only 15 quarterback hits in 15 games, the Raiders badly needed an edge rusher and Wilson fits the bill. He possesses all of the tools you want in an edge rusher and with a clean bill of health, Las Vegas is certainly hoping he can get to work right away opposite of Crosby.
