Tyree Wilson: Grading the Raiders’ No. 7 overall NFL Draft pick

There were a few major needs for the Raiders at No. 7 overall for their first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft such as an edge rusher, offensive tackle, or tight end, but the front office decided to go with Tyree Wilson.

The Raiders addressed that need in the pass rush with Wilson as he was one of the best at doing so in college football during the 2022 season. Heck, he’s been one of the best for the past two seasons with the Red Raiders, racking up 27.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks in 2021 and 2022 combined. That’s just 23 total games and he had 99 total tackles. He was a monster.

Some had him as a potential top-five pick this year, but he slipped down to No. 7 and the Raiders jumped at the opportunity to grab him even though Jalen Carter was still on the board.

I like this pick, but I’m not sure he was the “best possible” player on the board.

Grading the Raiders’ selection of Tyree Wilson

Wilson is a mountain of a player at 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds so his size is definitely NFL-ready and he could alter some passes with his large frame. But he only had one pass deflection in his entire college career which was a little head-scratching.

Still, he found his way into the backfield on a regular basis and those 17 career sacks and 32 career tackles for loss are intriguing.

He has a high ceiling and is going to waste no time acclimating to the NFL, but I still think the Raiders could have gone with Carter despite his “character issues.”

I like this pick, but it wasn’t the “best possible.”

Grade: B+