Thursday night the Raiders made Texas Tech edge defender Tyree Wilson their selection at seventh overall in the draft. Putting the intriguing college talent front and center as the team attempts to improve upon their 6-11 record from last season.
It was a decision GM Dave Ziegler described as comfortable. Why did they feel comfortable taking Wilson? That’s a long answer.
Let’s start with the basics. Everyone raves about Wilson’s physique. He’s a specimen at 6-5, 271 pounds with 35-inch arms and a 84-inch wingspan. He has raw abilities which make for a good baseline to work with.
There’s the evaluation of a what a player has put on tape and then there’s the evaluation of what kind of potential they have. After all, we’ve all seen players who dominate the college game and put up great numbers there, but the moment they are put against NFL level competition, they are out of their depth.
Some would argue, that is often the case with rookies. That they get that shock when they hit the NFL and every player is better than just about any competition they faced in college.
Separating those who hit their peak in college and those who continue to improve at the next level is most of the battle. It’s why they talk about work ethic a lot when evaluating talent. Those evaluations start with the scouts.
“When they come back and they tell me he’s a guy with extremely long arms and an amazing body who practices extremely hard day in and day out, we’re automatically excited when we hear that,” said Raiders Assistant GM Champ Kelly.
Those of us who have seen the way Maxx Crosby has practiced throughout his career can draw a straight line from that to how he dominates in games. Going all out in every drill, every rep, and every snap. Wilson seems to subscribe to that as well.
“I feel like if you don’t practice hard, you don’t play hard,” said Wilson Thursday following his selection by the Raiders. “Coming to the Silver & Black, that’s what they’re big on – practice like you play and being dominant and relentless.”
Wilson had the look of a very confident man Thursday night. In his sleek black suit adorned with floral designs and his black button up shirt completely open to expose his several large sparkling chains around his neck. Which made it kind of funny to hear Ziegler use the word “humble” when describing Wilson.
However, his style of clothes and bear hug that lifted Roger Goodell off the stage floor aren’t an indication of his humility as a player.
Ziegler also referred to Wilson as a “willing learner” with a “growth mindset” and a “passion for football” and a “drive to get better.”
Much of that may sound cliche, but there’s a reason for that. Mainly because it’s so important in evaluating whether a player will develop into the talent you hope they will.
A good sign is how open he was to going into detail when I asked him about the areas in which he needs the most work.
“There’s other things that I need work on like locking out all the time and playing with pad leverage and just being more technically sound,” Wilson said. “Coming from college and going to the NFL, that’s the biggest thing that you have to work on.”
Ziegler listed these areas and many more including counter moves and setting the edge. Generally speaking, he said Wilson won with “length and power” but was not technically “savvy”. Which is another way of saying he is a raw physical talent.
“How to study your tackle, what’s the best way to specifically beat this individual player. That’s not something that he had to do,” Ziegler added. “He didn’t have to vary it as much as he’s going to have to do in the NFL. So, there’s a level of that that I think he can continue to grow.”
Wilson will have two great mentors in Crosby and Chandler Jones. So, he’ll have plenty of opportunity to live up to his potential. He will have a chance to carve out a role for himself early and for the long term. But from the sounds of it, he has a long way to go for that and will have to be everything the Raiders hope he is from a character standpoint in order for him to reach it.
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