The Las Vegas Raiders have made a lot of bad first-round picks over the last couple of decades, and Tyree Wilson is officially one of the worst. The No.7 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has officially been traded to the New Orleans Saints, along with a seventh-round pick, for a fifth-round pick.
In three seasons with the Raiders, Wilson couldn’t earn a consistent role. While he’s only missed one game in his career, he started in just seven. He also could only muster 12.0 sacks in that span.
Wilson was highly thought of coming into the 2023 draft. Some even thought that he was the better prospect than Will Anderson, who just earned a massive contract extension from the Houston Texans.
A fifth-round pick isn’t a great return for a recent top-10 pick, so clearly the Raiders didn’t think Wilson had upside anymore. Despite having the perfect body type to be a star defensive end, Wilson struggled with his hands and getting off the ball.
The Raiders tried moving him on the inside, but he didn’t have much more success there. New defensive coordinator Rob Leonard was Wilson’s defensive line coach the last three seasons, so if anybody knew that he wasn’t going to ever live up to his draft status, it would’ve been him.
Raiders Select Dalton Johnson With Pick
The Raiders decided to address the secondary with the pick they acquired from the Wilson trade. The team selected former Arizona State safety Dalton Johnson with the No. 150 pick.
Johnson isn’t a big-time athlete, but NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein believes he could be a solid backup who makes an impact on special teams.
“Johnson might be a little light in the measurables department, but his play is tough, twitchy and instinctive,” Zierlein wrote. “He excels playing in short-zone coverage. He has the athletic ability for man coverage near the line and is quick to read/react to throws in front of him. He’s not an ideal fit as a deep-zone defender, though. Johnson could struggle against vertical speed and big slot receivers in man coverage. He can be swallowed by big blockers as a down safety but has the ability to pile up tackles if they don’t get to him first. Johnson is a Day 3 value as a backup nickelback/safety hybrid with core special-teams talent.”
Raiders Already Drafted Wilson Replacement
The writing may have already been on the wall for Wilson when the Raiders used a third-round pick on former Auburn defensive end Keyron Crawford. He’s a raw prospect who is going to take some development, so it makes more sense to swap Wilson with him.
The Raiders know Crawford has a ton of work to do, but they’re confident he’ll keep improving.
“When you talk to him, he’s really intense, very motivated, he’s driven,” assistant general manager Brian Stark told reporters. “He’s overcome a lot and he kind of found football late. And his experience at Arkansas State and his transition to Auburn gave him some confidence. He’s really motivated. He knows he’s not at his ceiling, he’s far from it.”
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