When the Las Vegas Raiders drafted defensive end Tyree Wilson with the seventh overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft, they did so because they expected the 6-foot-6, 275-pound defensive end to eventually dominate opposing offensive linemen.
However, the Raiders were also realistic in their initial outlook for Wilson, who entered the National Football League while recovering from a foot injury.
Feet injuries take time for any athlete to fully recover from, especially an athlete the size of Wilson. Inexperience and needing time to get acclimated to life on the professional level caused Wilson to get off to a slow start. Still, he had a solid second half of last season once Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham decided to play Wilson on the edge and the interior defensive line.
While much of Wilson’s contributions last season did not show up on the stat sheet, his move to the interior defensive line directly correlated with the Raiders’ improvement on defense last season.
Wilson’s growth sped up mightily once Raiders coach Antonio Pierce took over halfway through last season. Last season, Wilson did not have a full offseason to prepare, but he does this offseason. Pierce said Wilson looks like a better and healthier version of himself. Pierce also noted the fact that Wilson is continuing to learn what his job is along one of the best defensive lines in the NFL and credits Wilson’s veteran teammates with helping expedite the second-year defensive lineman’s development.
“Just finally see him healthy and enjoying football again, going back to the guy that we thought we drafted last year,” Pierce said at training camp. “Obviously, rookie season ups and downs, but I think we put that behind us. He’s healthy, bigger, stronger. I think he’s starting to still learn his role on the team, and we’re learning that with him along the way.
“Obviously, a dynamic player that I think has to good veterans in front of him to learn from in Malcolm [Koonce] and Maxx [Crosby]. And you see that growing process, both on the field and in the classroom, and that’s something that I think is going to continue to grow in training camp and as we go into the season.”
