Raiders DE Tyree Wilson gets ‘B’ grade in first NFL game

Raiders DE Tyree Wilson gets ‘B’ grade in first NFL game

The Raiders got a surprise in Week 3 of the preseason as Tyree Wilson suited up for the first time this year. Wilson only played a handful of snaps against the Cowboys, but he was impressive in the limited action that he saw.

In a recent article by Chad Reuter of NFL.com, he wrote about some of the top rookie performances from over the weekend. That included Wilson, who earned a “B” from Reuter. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on Wilson from Saturday night:

He showed off his length and ability to convert speed to power as a pass rusher, pushing Dallas’ right tackles into the quarterback.

He stacked the left tackle and shed him on a first-down run to take down the runner after just two yards (his only tackle of the night) on Dallas’ second offensive series.

Cowboys quarterback Will Grier did run around Wilson and into the end zone for the first points of the game when the edge defender failed to contain. The fact that Wilson played was a big win for him and the team as he makes his way back from the injury.

Wilson’s power and athleticism were on full display in the first quarter and that’s what the Raiders hope that he can add when the season starts. With Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones both being polished sack artists, having a player like Wilson with raw power should help collapse pockets and force quarterbacks out of the pocket.

The Raiders are likely to ease Wilson onto the field as a rookie. But there is a chance that he is just too talented to not see the field for 50-60 percent of the snaps in Year 1. Needless to say, the Raiders are really excited to see the No. 7 pick from the 2023 NFL Draft get more playing time early in the year.

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Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo throws three interceptions during Friday practice

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo throws three interceptions during Friday practice

Throwing interceptions during practices is highly overrated. It’s a time when quarterbacks are trying to get on page with their receivers and miscommunications happen. The best quarterbacks like to use practice as a time to experiment to see what they can and can’t get away with during an actual game.

Still, it’s noteworthy if a quarterback does throw multiple interceptions during a single practice. That is what happened on Friday as Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo threw three interceptions during practice, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.

It’s important to note that the three interceptions thrown by Garoppolo lack a lot of context. We don’t know who he was throwing the ball to or how much Garoppolo was even at fault. So it’s not worth getting too upset about.

However, if Garoppolo strings together multiple practices with several interceptions, then it’s time to worry. But for the most part, he’s looked good during the week of practice and the Raiders are still very optimistic about his fit in the offense.

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Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow posts third-straight 100-yard game

Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow posts-third-straight 100-yard game

There weren’t many positives to take away from the Week 14 loss to the Chiefs. The offense was held under 16 points for the fifth time in six weeks and the defense allowed 6.5 yards per play.

However, the only good thing to come from this game was the performance of Hunter Renfrow. The slot receiver caught 13 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown against Kansas City.

It was his third-straight game of at least 100 yards as the former Clemson receiver is playing the best football of his career. For that reason, he is our Peak Performer of Week 14 for the Raiders.

But Renfrow was not flawless. He lost a fumble after a big catch that was eventually recovered by Tyrann Mathieu. It took all of the momentum away from the Raiders and it was one of four lost fumbles by the Raiders on the day.

Through 13 games, Renfrow has totaled 877 receiving yards and five touchdowns. It’s easily the best season of his career and is now on pace for over 1,100 yards in 2021.

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