Raiders' Wilkins on Playing for Patrick Graham
The Las Vegas Raiders were impressive on defense last season, which can be primarily attributed to Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham.
In Graham’s second season calling the defense for the Silver and Black, the Raiders went from 26th in scoring defense to eighth and from 28th in total defense to 15th.
It’s safe to say Graham got comfortable in year two and led a much-improved defense.
Graham has a shiny new toy to work with going into year three, thanks to a four-year, $110 million contract the Raiders gave to star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in free agency.
Wilkins and Graham have worked together before when Graham was the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins in Wilkins’ rookie season. Wilkins posted 56 total tackles, three tackles for losses, four quarterback hits and two sacks in 2019.
When he spoke to the media, Wilkins talked about his familiarity with Graham in his introductory press conference and his excitement to learn from the Raiders’ coaching staff.
“No, that’s definitely good,” Wilkins said about that familiarity. “That makes a transition like this easy, or easier, just kind of having a rapport and relationship with the coaches that are already here. And so, I’m excited to just come here and work with them again and work with all the other coaches and everybody else on the staff as well. It's just about getting familiar here and getting to know everybody, and just looking forward to building relationships with people here as well.”
New Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins is excited to play for Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham and the entire coaching staff.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Graham got excellent production last season out of two defensive tackles on one-year contracts: Adam Butler and John Jenkins. Having a player of Wilkins’ caliber on the interior defensive line completely changes the dynamic of what the Raiders’ defense could look like.
Wilkins and defensive end Maxx Crosby faced their fair share of double teams in 2023. According to NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Wilkins generated 18 double-team pressures, the fifth-most for a defensive tackle, while Crosby led the NFL in run, stop, win rate.
The Raiders have not had a player like Wilkins on the interior line during Crosby’s time as a Raider. Graham can now utilize those two players in a multitude of ways, creating match-up advantages for the Raiders' defensive line.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.
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