Tyree

Wilson

Wilson, who injured his foot last November, is finally ready to go after being taken with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Wilson’s emergence as a pass rusher during his final two seasons at Texas Tech included 14 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss. He’ll join a Vegas front seven that recorded the third fewest sacks in 2022.

Fellow 2023 draftee Byron Young was also placed on the PUP list. Wilson suffered a foot injury in November that caused him to miss the end of his final collegiate season. He was held out of the Raiders’ minicamp and OTA practices, so the move to place him on the NFI list isn’t a shock. He can be removed from the list and resume practicing anytime. There haven’t been any rumblings of the issue lingering into the season, Wilson should be expected to return to the field sometime during the first few weeks of camp.

The Raiders made Wilson their first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft in hopes of improving a defense that finished 30th in sacks last season (27). Wilson’s emergence as a pass rusher during his final two seasons at Texas Tech included 14 sacks and 27.5 TFLs, as he quickly turned into one of the more coveted pass rushers of this year’s draft. Wilson should fit nicely opposite Maxx Crosby, whose 12.5 sacks last season were good for eighth-most in the league.

A three-star recruit who spent his first two collegiate seasons at Texas A&M, Wilson (6’6/271) wasn’t seeing the field so he transferred to Lubbock where he led the Red Raiders with 13.5 TFL and seven sacks in 2021. He really emerged in 2022, recording 50 pressures and 32 run stops in just 538 snaps while receiving First-Team All-American recognition. On a big stage against the undefeated TCU Horned Frogs, Wilson produced season highs with seven pressures and three QB hits. Unfortunately, he was injured for the remainder of the year the very next week against Kansas, but the rangy athletic dynamo’s sensational game against TCU clearly changed his perception after his breakout performance. He possesses natural power that overwhelms blockers when he pins his ears back as a straightforward, face-up rusher who can dip around the outside or toss a euro-step out there to keep opponents off balance. Wilson comes with a plan and is very active with his hands, but as a long, rangy defender his pad level can get high at times. Wilson’s foot injury kept him from testing, but his impressive tape combined with prototype dimensions make him a sought-after edge defender.