Raiders Continue to Develop DE Tyree Wilson Mentally and Physically

The Las Vegas Raiders had a plan when they drafted defensive end Tyree Wilson. The development of last year's seventh overall draft pick continues.

Dec 25, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) scrambles from Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Adam Butler (69) and defensive end Tyree Wilson (9) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

When the Las Vegas Raiders selected defensive end Tyree Wilson seventh overall in last year’s NFL Draft, they did so because they believed in Wilson’s raw, untapped potential after a productive collegiate career at Texas Tech.

Wilson entered the league coming off of an injury he sustained during his final season in college. The injury led to a slow ramp-up period for the physically gifted defensive lineman. Wilson would eventually get up to speed over the second half of last season, gradually showing more and more glimpses of why the Raiders invested in him.

However, as much as Wilson’s physical abilities grew last season, so did his mental toughness. The rigors of his first season in the league and the ridicule he took from fans and the national media after a slow start helped prepare Wilson for what was to come.

Raiders defensive line coach Rob Leonard spoke about the differences he’s noticed in Wilson this offseason. 

"Mindset, attitude,” Leonard said last week. “Not giving a you-know-what what people think. 'Hey, that's wrong, do it again, do the drill again.' Working to the standard of what we've created in that room and really as a defense. Really ain't that hard. It's defensive line play. It's playing hard, it's attacking the ball like it's anyone you ever loved and anything you hold dear, and it's not getting blocked one-on-one.

"So, those may seem like cliches, but that's how we start off every meeting. That's what we're all about. You hear AP [Antonio Pierce] talk about it all the time. It needs to sound a certain way. I was talking this morning to the group about like that feeling when we went out in Kansas City took the field. I didn't know whether we were going to win or lose, but I knew the way the game was going to be played. That's the standard we're trying to create. That's what Tyree is embracing."

Leonard said he and the veterans on the defensive line aim to instill mental toughness in each player on the unit, especially the team’s prized draft pick from last season. For Leonard, the mentality starts with him and trickles down to each player on the defensive line. Leonard said the mentality is so ingrained in the unit that the players themselves hold each other accountable. 

“It's a mindset, it's a mentality over anything else, and he's displayed that in training camp," Leonard said. "So, when you're not good at something and then pushing through it and working towards getting better at it, that is a mindset because there's people around, they see you do a crappy rep, no, wrong, do it again. Attacking the ball, running all the way down the field like 98 [Maxx Crosby], punching at it, being an a-hole unable, disrupting practice. If you develop that mindset, the results are just like - it'll happen. It'll happen."

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