Raiders' Tyree Wilson on His Early Frustrations as a Rookie

Last year's first-round pick for the Las Vegas Raiders, Tyree Wilson, experienced the natural frustrations of a rookie in the National Football League.

Oct 1, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws as Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson (9) moves in during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Tyree Wilson high in last year’s draft because they believed in his potential opposite of Maxx Crosby on their defensive line. Wilson entered the league nursing an injury he suffered in college.

The Raiders planned to bring him along slowly as they planned on having veteran defensive end Chandler Jones in front of Wilson on the depth chart. Jones left the team before the season started, speeding up the process the Raiders had in mind.

One of the significant problems with Wilson's coming back from injury earlier than planned was that he missed most of the offseason with the injury. This kept him from being able to get in shape with an entire offseason workout program, making matters worse upon his arrival. Not only was Wilson not entirely healthy, but he was also not in shape, at no fault of his own. 

Wilson's recovery and ramp-up period during the first half of his rookie season led to some growing pains, as he didn’t register his first sack until the seventh game. Wilson admits the first few weeks of his rookie season were hard, as he had gone from the big man on campus to rookie in the league.

"At the beginning was frustrating because you're coming in from college being that guy, and then you back at the bottom, and you got to work your way back up,” Wilson told reporters on Tuesday. “But as the season went on, you don't have time to really think because the season keeps moving on and you just got to come to work and get better." 

As he enters his second season in the league, Wilson said his rookie season taught him to slow down. He said being coachable helped him grow last season and through this offseason. Wilson's willingness to learn gained him respect amongst teammates like Maxx Crosby.

"Coming in from college you think you've got everything figured out, but this year, I just slowed back down, started taking the coaching, and just come out here and work,” Wilson said. “You gain respect by the actions that you put in, and it just really helped me take more steps up this year."

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