During the 2022 NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler did not have a ton of draft capital to work with. The first-year GM traded away the team's first and second-round picks to the Green Bay Packers for Davante Adams, making his first pick No. 90 overall on Day 2.
This year, Ziegler had much better draft capital to work with, including the No. 7 overall pick, a selection the team got by winning only six games during the 2022 NFL season. That pick ended up being Tyree Wilson, and explosive edge rusher from Texas Tech who should take some of the pressure off of Maxx Crosby in the pass rush.
Overall, the Raiders added nine players via the 2023 NFL Draft, and a host of other names as undrafted free agents, as they look to add talented youth to their roster. Today, that group will report to Henderson, Nevada to kick off the team's 2023 training camp slate, and there are much higher expectations for this class than there were for the 2022 version.
Raiders leaning on talented 2023 draft class in Year 1
Wilson will be the headliner of this class as a first-round pick, but he should come in as the third option in the pass rush behind Crosby and Chandler Jones. The Raiders second pick, Michael Mayer, will have much more pressure on him to perform in Year 1, as he should be the team's TE1 after camp, now that Darren Waller is in New York.
The Raiders needed help in the interior of their defensive line as well this offseason, and Byron Young from Alabama was a solid get in the third round. Tre Tucker may have shocked some when he was picked at No. 100 overall, but he is a guy who can help on offense, and on special teams, so expect him to make an impact in Year 1 as well.
On Day 3, the Raiders may have had two huge draft steals, as Jakorian Bennett looks every bit the part of a starting cornerback at the NFL level, and Christopher Smith II could get some serious time at the safety position. Both men will be tasked with improving a defensive backfield that was once again one of the worst in the NFL last season.
Quarterback Aidan O'Connell is going to be under the microscope this summer as well, not so much to earn a starting job, but for the Raiders to see if he could possibly be their quarterback of the future. Amari Burney and Jade Nesta Silvera were the Raiders final two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, and will have to fight for everything they get this summer as late-draft picks.
Overall, this is an exciting 2023 class, and one that will hopefully make the Raiders good for the long-run, not just for a season. We will see if they have have an immediate impact, and based on the group as a whole, I believe that will be the case this fall.