There weren’t many positives to take away from the Las Vegas Raiders‘ Week 3 loss against the Carolina Panthers. However, despite the seemingly endless list of negatives from Sunday’s contest, there was one development that should put a slight smile on the faces of Raider Nation: 2023 first-rounder Tyree Wilson had, perhaps, the best performance of his young career in what was his first ‘real’ game of the 2024 season.
The seventh-overall pick in last year’s draft, Wilson has yet to produce at the level Las Vegas expected when selecting him. Through 19 career contests, the 24-year-old has totaled 3.5 sacks along with a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Wilson received a 47.1 grade via Pro Football Focus for his work during his rookie campaign; the 11th-lowest grade among all edge rushers league-wide who totaled at least 100 snaps.
But that was last year.
At this point in the season, Wilson has earned a 61.8 grade. The major improvement has come in his game against the run, where the Texas Tech alum went from a 47.6 grade in year one to a mark of 75.3 at this point in year two.
This grade puts Wilson among the best players at his position via stoping the run. In fact, only nine edge rushers across the NFL currently have a better grade on running downs than Tyree Wilson.
The numbers match the high grade, too.
Among all edge rushers league-wide who have taken the field on at least 10 rushing downs, only two have a higher stop percentage on run plays than Wilson’s 15.8%.
Aside from six snaps against the Chargers in Week 1, all of Wilson’s snaps on defense came in Week 3 – his ‘real’ first game of the season.
Tyree Wilson shines in Las Vegas Raiders’ Week 3 loss vs Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers went into Week 3 with the 12th-best offensive line via PFF’s weekly O-line rankings. Following Sunday’s contest against the Raiders, the unit jumped up four spots to eighth-best.
And although Carolina’s offense won the battle in the trenches, Tyree Wilson made his presence known in a big way.
The second-year pro was one of three Raiders to log a quarterback hit, besting his blocker 7.7% of the time; the fourth-best percentage on the team. Maxx Crosby, for example, won his matchup 5.6% of the time.
But Wilson was at his best when defending the run. No Raiders defender totaled more than one stop on running downs, outside of Tyree Wilson, who was responsible for three. Wilson’s three stops was the second-most at his position across the NFL in Week 3.
With a grade of 75.4, only four edge rusher received a higher grade against the run for the week.
Getting into position to make stops on running downs was something Wilson struggled with in the past. On Sunday, he seemed to be the only Raider who didn’t struggle in that area.
In addition, was as reliable as it gets as well, missing a total of zero tackles.
It’s important to remember his performance was only a one-game sample, but it’s also equally important to remember Week 3 was Tyree’s first full game of his sophomore campaign.
One can’t help but wonder if the 6-foot-7 defensive lineman with an 86-inch wingspan has started to put the pieces together after struggling his rookie season. Time will tell as the season rolls onward.
*Top Photo: Justin Edmonds/ Getty Images