Silver Minings: PFF predicts ‘big years ahead’ for Tyree Wilson and Michael Mayer

It’s been a while since the Las Vegas Raiders have received praise for their first- and second-round picks. Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock became known for their Day 1 reaches and their second-rounders weren’t much better, as those two liked to stray away from the consensus and take risks.

However, the reviews have been pretty positive for Josh McDaniels’ and Dave Ziegler’s first swing at drafting on night one and round two together. They’ve even drawn praise from Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema, who recently compiled his major takeaways for each team’s draft haul.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: BIG YEARS AHEAD FOR WILSON AND MAYER

We knew it would be important for the Raiders to nail their first selection of the draft in the top 10. Tyree Wilson has a chance to be a high-impact player in Year 1 due to the fact that he should see a decent amount of one-on-one opportunities as teams focus on stopping Maxx Crosby on the other side of the line. As for the offense, trading Darren Waller this offseason was a big blow, but adding an experienced tight end like Michael Mayer in the second round means the Raiders can continue to emphasize that position in the passing game.

Of course, this means little to nothing until the games get going, but it’s refreshing to hear some positive surrounding the Raiders’ draft class for once.

In other Raiders’ links:

• Aidan O’Connell fits McDaniels’ system: Silver and Black Pride’s Marcus Johnson dove into the fourth-round pick’s tape to see what he can bring to Las Vegas.
• Raiders had a ‘type’ in 2023 draft: “Thus, the Silver & Black clearly had a “type” in the 2023 NFL Draft and after the team concluded the annual event by making nine selections, six were defenders — all with potential to be disruptive in their own unique ways,” writes S&BP’s Ray Aspuria.
• Behind the scenes of the draft: Sports Illustrated gives an inside look at how last weekend went down for Las Vegas.
• The 8th round: How Sam Webb and Luke Masterson carved out a place in the NFL, via Raiders.com.