The Las Vegas Raiders have kept their first-round draft pick, defensive end Tyree Wilson, with them throughout the season. Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham of the Raiders gave his opinions on giving Wilson a chance to play on the inside of the defensive line now that he’s more familiar with NFL game. “We’ll see [about moving him around] on Sunday, we’ll see but we’re focused on him just improving,” he said.
“I mean, the defensive line, it’s whether you’re a nine technique or five-technique, I know the combinations of blocks can be different, but it still comes down to reading your keys, striking your key with your hands, getting your hands out in front of your eyes and then being able to transition in the pass rush.” Graham described the transition that most defenders, particularly defensive lineman, go through after dominating in college. “I always think there’s a benefit for a young, edge player to have some experience down inside because I’ve told you guys before in college when they’re that good, nobody has really blocked them before,” Graham went on to say.
Every player’s path to the professional level is unique.
Wilson, who stands 6-6 and weighs 275 pounds, has mostly played on the edge this season but can also play inside. Another well-known former Raider defensive lineman made the opposite adjustment. “So, how good are they with their hands?” “When you force the edge guy inside — no different than what we did in New England when I had Chandler [Jones] when I was coaching D-line there,” Graham inquired. “We started Chandler Jones on the inside.” Graham stated that another aspect of the learning curve for great linemen coming out of college is learning to win with technique rather than talent.
“It teaches him to use his hands: ‘Oh, I can play with my length,'” he added. “You can’t just run around the edge like you used to in college.” So, I think there are a lot of pros to moving him up and down the line, especially early on.” Outside of Maxx Crosby, the Raiders are still looking for consistent output from their defensive end position. Stepping up into that role for Las Vegas’ first-round pick would help the Raiders’ defense a lot, especially against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
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