NFL players who have had major resources invested in them, whether it be a hefty contract or an early draft pick, typically get a long leash. That leash becomes shorter and shorter if a player doesn't perform well, and it gets practically cut in half if the regime that invested in them is fired or leaves.
Such was the case for former Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson, who was traded to the New Orleans Saints on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft. He got three years to prove his worth in Las Vegas, but ultimately, the Raiders felt that a "fresh start" was needed for both sides.
Before Wilson was traded, however, the Raiders made somewhat of a peculiar selection with Auburn's Keyron Crawford in the third round. Many thought it was too early to grab an edge rusher, but the departure of Wilson now makes that pick easily explainable. It was actually a bit of foreshadowing.
Las Vegas Raiders trading Tyree Wilson explains early Keyron Crawford selection
Raider Nation hadn't necessarily heard of, or at least kept close tabs on, Crawford before he was taken. That's because the edge rusher prospects that the fanbase had watched were either from the early-rounders when they thought Maxx Crosby was gone, or the later-rounders when he returned.
A mid-round edge rusher didn't really seem like an option. So the initial thought was that, although the future of the defensive end room was somewhat in flux, Las Vegas didn't need to address the position so early, especially with so many other, more pressing needs to attend to.
It seemed like Crawford was joining a jumble behind Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye, crowding a room that already included Wilson, Malcolm Koonce and Charles Snowden, as well as deeper depth pieces like Brennan Jackson, Jamin Davis and Jahfari Harvey. But that wasn't the case at all.
And with Wilson now out of the picture, the Raiders' plan for the defensive end room has now come into focus. Crosby and Paye will be the key cogs, and Koonce will likely be the first guy to rotate in this year. But Crawford should at least be a situational pass-rusher as a rookie with Wilson out of the way.
By the 2027 season, with a full year of development under his belt and Koonce hitting free agency, Crawford should step into an even bigger role, making him, Crosby and Paye a three-headed monster on the edge. If the team was still focused on jumpstarting Wilson, that might not have been the case.
So, for as ill-advised as it may have seemed for the Raiders to draft yet another developmental edge rusher in the third round into a crowded defensive end room, fans quickly learned that that wasn't the case at all. Las Vegas trading Wilson was the antidote to any concern about the Crawford selection.
Add us as a preferred source on Google