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March 28, 2024

NFL DRAFT:

Raiders need Tyree Wilson to become major complement to Maxx Crosby

Wilson could play different roles on d-line as a rookie but foot injury is a concern

tyree wilson

Jeff Roberson / AP

Texas Tech defensive lineman Tyree Wilson, left, poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the Las Vegas Raiders with the seventh overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo.

Updated Thursday, April 27, 2023 | 10:36 p.m.

Tyree Wilson had a surprise visitor stop by his breakfast table two weeks ago in the cafeteria of the Raiders’ Henderson headquarters during his pre-draft visit with the team.

The 22-year-old edge rusher briefly enjoyed the company of the Raiders’ biggest current star at his position, Maxx Crosby, before going on with his days of medical check-ups, football tests and meetings.

“I chopped it up with him a little bit,” Wilson recalled of meeting Crosby Thursday night.

Now, the Raiders are hoping Crosby and Wilson can pair up to chop down opposing quarterbacks. Las Vegas made a somewhat surprising selection in choosing Wilson out of Texas Tech with the No. 7 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday night.

The Raiders were more widely predicted to take a cornerback, offensive linemen or even quarterback but opted to strengthen the edge of their defensive line instead. The franchise has been searching for the right complement to put next to Crosby since relocating to Las Vegas ahead of the 2020 season.

Former No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell arrived as the top option, but he never lived up to his draft status and was allowed to walk for a free-agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason. Las Vegas’ former regime, led by Jon Gruden, also brought in Yannick Ngakoue, who had 10 sacks in his single 2021-2022 season but struggled in other areas.

Veteran standout Chandler Jones was the answer last season, but he failed to live up to his three-year, $51 million deal in his first season with the team. Jones will be back at least one more season, but the 33-year-old may need to fend off Wilson from taking a portion of his snaps.

Jones was ironically a popular comparison going into the draft for Wilson, who’s built similarly to new his teammate. Jones is 6-foot-6, 265-pounds with a 78-inch wingspan; Wilson is 6-foot-6, 275 pounds with an 86-inch wing span.

The rookie’s monstrous size could mean he competes with Jones for playing time less than expected. Raiders general manger Dave Zielger said “the more the merrier” was his philosophy when it came to edge rushers, and assistant general manager Champ Kelly alluded to the possibility of Wilson sharing the field with both Crosby and Jones.

“We thought he was extremely versatile,” Kelly said of Wilson. “This is a guy who played all across the front. You can line up with Maxx and Chan, and this guy can still find a role to help us rush the quarterback. We’ve even seen him drop so we’re excited about that as well.”

Local sports books favored Wilson to be the second overall pick in the draft to the Houston Texans as recently as Tuesday, but he dropped potentially in part because of medical concerns. Wilson missed the final three games of his senior season at Texas Tech with a foot injury.

Ten games was enough for him to put together a strong campaign that included seven sacks and 50 pressures, culminating with an All-American nod. But buzz about the injury persisted and may have been the reason some teams linked to him like the Seattle Seahawks were scared off.

But the Raiders felt comfortable with Wilson after getting initial medical reports at the NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis, where he did not participate in drills, and double-checking them in their own facility.

“It wasn’t something that ultimately (affected us),” Ziegler said of Wilson’s injury. “If it was something that would have kept us from (drafting him), we wouldn’t have. We have players that aren’t on the board for medical reasons.”

Wilson became a college prospect after a storied prep career at West Rusk High in New London, Texas, about 150 miles East of where Crosby stood out at Colleyville Heritage outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. He said he molded parts of his pass-rushing technique after fellow Texas prep star Myles Garrett, now with the Cleveland Browns, but began watching Crosby in recent years.

“He’s a great pass rusher, dominant and disruptive player that’s going to be relentless all over the field,” Wilson said of Crosby. “That’s what I try to have my game at, be relentless and disruptive.”

The player the Raiders are most hoping he can disrupt is another Texas high school legend. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes grew up only 20 miles away from Wilson in Whitehouse, Texas.

They’ve been two of the best recent players at Texas Tech, leading the two-time MVP to congratulate his new rival on twitter.

“Take it easy on me big dawg!!” Mahomes said in a message with Wilson tagged.

Perhaps more importantly, Crosby also tweeted Wilson with a pointed message — “work starts now.”

Las Vegas ranked third-to-last in the NFL with 27 sacks a season ago. Selecting Wilson should be a step towards making sure they don’t rate so lowly again.

“We want to be able to eventually develop over time a front that can come in waves, keep guys fresh,” Ziegler said. “I think that’s important in this day, especially (when the AFC West has) quarterbacks that run around — (Justin) Herbert can move around, Russell Wilson moves around, Pat (Mahomes) is Pat, he can move around in his own way. Being able to have some guys that can pressure the quarterback, disrupt the pocket and have more guys that can do that in phases is valuable.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or

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