After two major trades within the first six picks of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders were on the clock at No. 7, with a lot of solid options at their disposal.
The Raiders resisted the urge to bring in a quarterback with Will Levis out of the University of Kentucky still available. Instead, they chose to upgrade the defense with defensive end Tyree Wilson out of Texas Tech.
The #Raiders select #TexasTech edge Tyree Wilson at No. 7, the top defensive player on the board. They are comfortable with his healing foot.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 28, 2023
Wilson’s college career ended after 10 games played last season for the Red Raiders due to a broken foot, but he still made an impression as arguably the best defensive end in this draft class.
Tyree Wilson played 10 games in 2022 before suffering a broken bone in his foot that ended his season.
His 18% pressure percentage was 2nd highest in FBS last season, after UCLA’s Laiatu Latu. pic.twitter.com/dU1g76qEja
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 28, 2023
With Wilson now paired with Maxx Crosby in Las Vegas, the Raiders may have taken a leap forward to becoming a force to be reckoned with defensively.
Obviously, there’s still a lot of work to be done to improve the defense in Las Vegas, and the team will likely continue to address that side of the football throughout the rest of the draft.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Raiders try to trade up and get another pick in the first round before they are on the clock early in the second round on Friday.
