When the Raiders used the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Tyree Wilson, they knew it might be a while before he reached his potential. The defensive end out of Texas Tech is long and athletic but needs a lot of playing time to learn how to be an NFL pass rusher.
That’s been the case through the first two weeks of the season as Wilson has really struggled. He has recorded just one pressure in two games and has graded out as the team’s worst defender in each contest.
Buy Raiders TicketsIn a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they took a look at every first-round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft to see how they have performed in their first two games. Unfortunately, Wilson did not get a lot of praise from the site.
Wilson struggled mightily for a second straight week, putting up a team-low 39.2 overall grade. He failed to record any pressure on 22 pass-rush snaps and had four negatively graded run-defense snaps while also missing a tackle. Wilson repeatedly failed to get off blocks from Dion Dawkins and the Bills’ tight ends.
The Raiders need Wilson to improve quickly as their defense desperately needs a pass rusher opposite of Maxx Crosby. They’ve got to find a way to get stops as their offense has run just 47 total plays through two games.
Hopefully, Wilson can improve with more snaps. But right now, he might just be the weakest link on their defense.
