In the 2021 NFL draft, the Las Vegas Raiders made it a point to address the safety position. This included selecting Missouri’s Tyree Gillespie in the fourth round. He was recently featured in an interview with Silver and Black Productions’ Eddie Paskal. In this interview, he gave out some interesting tidbits regarding his future.Â
Hardworking and dedicated
Early in the conversation, it becomes obvious what kind of person Gillespie is. When asked to deliver a scouting report on himself, he quickly mentions that he is a “student of the game.” To go along with this, Gillespie considers his biggest area of improvement throughout college to be his film study. This film study shows up often on Gillespie’s tape; he never seems confused or out of position on the field. “What you do in the dark, you see in the light” was a quote used by Gillespie and it speaks volumes about his character.
A fearless leader
Another thing mentioned early on, was Gillespie’s collegiate battles with tight end Kyle Pitts. Pitts, a top-five pick in the 2021 draft, is widely considered one of the best tight-end prospects ever. Gillespie however, does not care about the hype. “He’s big and strong but he’s just a player. He’s just another player in the football world” is how the Missouri product described Pitts. This confidence sticks out as one of the biggest reasons the Raiders’ brass selected him. This mentality will be needed as he will often be asked to match up with Kansas City Chiefs star, Travis Kelce.
Lots of excitement for the future
Overall, Raiders fans should be very excited about Gillespie’s future with the team. Not only will he bring it every day, but it’s also clear he loves being a Raider. Often mentioning the “family atmosphere” in Vegas, he was also quoted saying “I feel like we been friends forever” when discussing the rookie class. He also heaped praise upon new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley saying “he really knows what he’s talking about” and agreed that he always tries to put his players in positions to succeed.
While Gillespie may never become an every-down starter for the Silver and Black, he promises to always be a valuable member of the safety rotation. His 2021 usage will be one of the most intriguing storylines of the Raiders season.
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*Top Photo: Associated Press/John Raoux