HENDERSON, Nevada — Knuckles have grown whiter as anxiety grows with each draft pick.
Sure enough, the Las Vegas Raiders unsuccessfully tried to trade even the #1 pick, likely for quarterback, earlier in the season. And yes, the Raiders fielded quite a few quarterbacks in the lead up to the draft.
But no one in the Raiders’ roaming room really expected one of their top three QB prospects to fall to their seventh-ranked quarterback. So when Bryce Young went first to the Carolina Panthers and CJ Stroud finished second to the Houston Texans, Anthony followed suit. Richardson later optioned to the Indianapolis Colts, the smokescreen had risen and the Raiders’ path was clear.
Chasing the quarterback, both literally and figuratively, paid off, as the Raiders focused on a top edge rusher who was still on the board — Texas Tech’s Terry Wilson.
As Raiders owner Mark Davis said, the room was quiet but cheery as General Manager Dave Ziegler and Coach Josh McDaniels went to work.
“With three quarterbacks in the top four, they knew one of their four targets would be available in the seventh,” Davis told ESPN.com. Then it became The reality. He made it simple – Terry was the man.”
Because while Las Vegas has been linked to drafting a corner, making the power stronger makes the most sense. So the Raiders took the opportunity to add Wilson to Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones, who have had 72.5 sacks in the past four seasons.
“Going into it, we weren’t sure if he was going to be there or not,” Ziegler said. And so, (we were) very excited when we saw it [Wilson] He was still there and excited to be there.”
As that old saying goes, the best pass coverage is the fearsome rush of the pass.
“I know our secondary players are very excited about the possibility of what Tyree can do for us,” said Raiders assistant general manager Champ Kelly. “I, personally, as a defensive back, would be excited when you see a guy with 6-5, 35-inch arms, who has proven his ability to hit the quarterback from multiple points. That’s just an exciting prospect. It means, ‘You probably don’t have to cover for long. “
“And in that department, you have to have some guys who can get you a quarterback.”
Paging, then, is the reigning NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos, a potential Hall of Famer.
No, even the broken right foot that cost Wilson his last three games scared the Raiders.
“It just made sense to us,” Ziegler said. “If that was something he would have kept us from it [drafting him]Obviously, we wouldn’t have done that. We have players who are not on the board for medical reasons.”
Instead, the Raiders, who had a “Mad Stork” in Ted Hendrix, add, “albatrossWith an 86-inch wingspan in Wilson to Crosby’s ‘Condor’ in a silver and black bird sanctuary.
What do they say about birds of a feather, said together?
Wilson, who had seven sacks in each of the past two seasons but had surgery on the foot November 21 and had hardware removed March 21, did not participate in field practices at the combine and did not participate in Texas Tech’s pro day. Dr. Robert Anderson, who performed the surgeries, advised Wilson not to sweat or exercise for 15–20 days after the second procedure to reduce the risk of infection in the incision and sent a letter to all 32 teams alerting them of his recommendation.
Wilson played down any concerns.
“I expect to be ready through training camp,” he said. “It’s up to the staff at the Raiders to figure out what percentage I’m at. I’m feeling great, and I’m just trying to be the best I can be on the field.”
Wilson impressed the Raiders staff on his preseason visit to Las Vegas.
“Yeah, it definitely made a huge impact,” Ziegler said. “When we can bring players into ’30’ visits, you have more unlimited time to be able to look for the player… They’re very accurate and we have a very strong understanding of where the player is medically and personally, and I’d say just from a football intelligence point of view.
“So being able to get him here and go through that process definitely made it a more comfortable situation for us.”
Then where, exactly, is the 6-foot-5, 271-pound player—not only did he play power forward on the high school basketball team, but he was also fast enough to run on three carries for the track team and led Texas Tech in sacks and tackles the past two seasons and was Second Team Associated Press All-American last season – Do you fit in with Jones and Crosby?
Will he take the place of the 33-year-old Jones? Can he play indoors alongside Crosby? The Raiders also returned defensive tackle Bilal Nichols and re-signed Jerry Tilery, whose arrival late in the season seemed to spark Jones.
“The more the more the merrier,” Ziegler said with a smile. “Just [Wilson’s] The ability to disrupt…we want to be able to eventually develop, over time here, a front that can come in waves and be able to keep guys fresh. “
Wilson said he wanted to be “tough” and “annoying” like Crosby.
“I feel like no one can rush into the middle,” Wilson said. “You have to have something about you. You have to have great technique and also, you have to be physical and dominant to get into the quarterback.
“Honestly, I want to be different from other pass players in the NFL. I want to have a perfect rushing pass plan and have other people take bits and pieces of my game.”
In high school in New London, Texas, Wilson was a West Rusk High Raider. After playing one season at Texas A&M, he was a Texas Tech Red Rider. So, it looks like fate made him become a Las Vegas Raider, right?
He smiled: “I am excited to be a Rider, and continue to be a Rider.”
He wasn’t excited, though, as the Raiders’ drawing room was that first night.