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The Las Vegas Raiders took a chance on Tyree Wilson No. 7 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. The former regime, well, two regimes ago, made the selection with the thought in mind that he would take a few years to turn into a great player.
It's year three for Wilson, and he's not a great player. He's not terrible, though; he's just not what a No. 7 overall pick should be. Then again, we haven't seen him in his third season yet, and he has dealt with injuries. I say all that to say, the Tyree Wilson experience has been underwhelming.
But he's a hard worker, and you can see that he wants to get better. You can see that he wants to be the player that the franchise drafted him to be. He's had some really good offseasons where he's clearly one of the hardest workers on the team. But the technical side of things just hasn't hit me yet.
And the best part about Wilson is that he recognizes it all.
"Man, first off, being consistent running to the ball," Wilson said during mandatory minicamp. "I'm trying to get my cardio up to be able to be on the field longer, to be around the ball, to make more plays, but then just to be versatile. Last year, you saw me outside, inside, and just really trying to make my game more efficient inside working more edge moves, counter moves, and not just being a power guy, which I always had in my bag... Yeah, footwork and just everything. Core, feet work and just having a lower center of gravity. I missed a lot of plays, sacks, and tackles, and I'm always falling on the ground. So that was a big focus in the off-season."
This year will be a big year for Wilson. After this year, the Raiders will really see what kind of deal they will want to give him after his rookie contract, or if they even want to give him one or not. This is the chance for Wilson to show that he is improving, especially with the offense being better now, and not always having the defense be put in bad situations.
Last year, the Raiders relied on K'Lavon Chaisson, who signed a great deal with the New England Patriots, and other depth pieces a ton, along with Wilson, because of the injuries. This year, they will rely on Wilson even more, and who knows what Malcolm Koonce will be after an ACL injury.
But the fact that he knows what he has to work on, and he's hard on himself about it, but in a good way, is great for his progress. And, honestly, you love to see it. Pete Carroll has developed some really good defensive line guys during his time with the Seattle Seahawks, maybe he can do it with the Raiders and Wilson.
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