It was a disappointing rookie season for Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson, partly due to lofty expectations as a top 10 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
But fair or not, those expectations will follow Wilson throughout his career. Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham says Wilson’s time at defensive tackle last season could give the Texas Tech product a boost in an important area: using his hands.
That will help Wilson tremendously as he looks to make a jump in year No. 2, starting with Raiders organized team activity practices that began on Monday.
According to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, Wilson says he’s noticed the improvement, and Graham called the experience critical to Wilson’s development.
The Raiders moved the second-year defensive end inside to defensive tackle more often toward the end of last season, which helped him grow his skill set. Wilson said it reduced the amount of thinking he had to do, sharpened his ability to pick up on things pre-snap and improved his hand usage.
“It teaches them to use their hands because they’re dealing with a more immediate block from the guard or the center,” defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. “I thought that was really critical to Tyree’s development.”
Using your hands is a critical skill up front, so I understand Graham’s word choice. For the 6-foot-6 Wilson, it could work to his advantage more than most. He has an 86-inch wingspan, one inch shy of the wingspan owned by NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Reed also reported that Wilson is behind DE Maxx Crosby and DE Malcolm Koonce on the depth chart. That’s no surprise, and it could help Wilson. The pressure on him to perform this season is far less than in his rookie campaign due to the rise of Koonce. And on defense, the more maulers you have up front, the merrier.
Wilson also sounded mentally prepared for the upcoming season, according to Reed, especially as he’s started to follow the lead of Crosby.
So will Wilson fulfill those lofty expectations this season? As long as he helps the Raiders earn a winning record, it won’t matter too much in the short term. But given his new skills and mindset, Graham and the Raiders have every reason to believe that Wilson can eventually become an impact player for the silver and black.