Tyree Wilson brings ‘relentless and disruptive’ play to the Raiders

After the end of the first round, General Manager Dave Ziegler and Assistant General Manager Champ Kelly addressed the team’s decision to select Wilson. According to Ziegler, while the players selected went as predicted in their draft board, they were excited and surprised to still see him available at No. 7.

“We knew even before we got to this point this was a place he wanted to play,” said Ziegler. “This was an organization he wanted to play for. He made that clear to us before we even drafted him. A lot of excitement, this is a huge moment for all of these guys and for Tyree. … The dream of being of an NFL player and being a Top 10 pick – you can hear the excitement in his voice.”

“I think you saw him get up to the stage and pick the commissioner up in the air,” the GM continued, referencing Wilson’s eagerness to be drafted by the Raiders. “Just a lot of energy, a lot of juice, he’s ready to get to work and he’s ready to learn. He’s ready to learn from the guys that are here, he’s ready to earn his keep and be an accountable player.”

Wilson was a player the Raiders got to know well during the draft process, having interviewed him at the Scouting Combine and hosted him for a Top 30 visit. The Raiders, like Wilson himself, believe versatility is the 22-year-old’s strong suit.

“We thought that he was extremely versatile,” said Kelly. “This is a guy that played all across the front. So you can line him up with Chan [Chandler Jones] and Maxx and this guy can still find a role to help us rush the quarterback. We’ve even seen him dropping [in coverage] in some clips so we’re really excited about that too.”