The Las Vegas Raiders like what they have seen in second year defensive end Tyree Wilson.
A rash of injuries has allowed him to see the field more, and he is ending the season on a strong note just like he had at the end of his rookie campaign. In a Week 17 win over the New Orleans Saints, Wilson racked up eight quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus. It was second in the entire league for Week 17.
For his performance, Wilson earned an above average 74.9 player grade from PFF.
Wilson, the seventh-overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, has had a bit of a slow start to his career. That being said, there is a lot to like about his potential. Head coach Antonio Pierce noted as much back in November after a strong performance against the Denver Broncos.
"What was talked about him last year? Him getting off the rock. Well, we haven't talked about that as much no more," Pierce said. "That's gone away now. I think the second thing now is his eyes and the transition, right? Because there's so much movement, the flash, these tight ends, jet sweeps, all these motions that he's getting every play, it kind of slows you down. I thought there was really two good examples yesterday where you got that same action that last year, he looked lost, and he had a play that was almost for a TFL and another one that was a tackle. So, you can see the improvement with his eyes looking ahead, getting ahead of the game, understanding how teams are playing and what the concepts that they're running, and then applying that to what we're doing conceptually.
"So, just each and every week he's made a play or two. And sometimes on the stat sheet, you want to always have that verification. But there's been so much he's done in the run game and in the passing game, using his length, using his power. Again, I think he's one of those players that's trending up for us, and obviously as the season goes on these last six games, the more and more we can give him reps, the better we'll be in the future.”
The development has been slow but sure, and the Silver and Black is thrilled to see a return on investment.
