Originally published by RaidersNewswire.com
The Las Vegas Raiders plan to be much better in the trenches on both sides of the ball this season. Defensively the team brought in defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, but they could receive another big boost with the development of last year’s first-round draft pick Tyree Wilson.
Unfortunately for Wilson and the Raiders, the lineman came in dealing with a serious foot injury, and he wasn’t even cleared to practice until the last week of training camp. But this season Wilson comes in fully healthy, and it is a completely different experience, via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
“It’s a big difference,” Wilson said. “You can come in and not think about the injury and just focus on ball and your technique and get better every time you come on the field.”
The ability to focus on skill and technique and just improve overall makes a massive difference. Wilson will now have the chance to build on a promising end to last year as Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham moved Wilson inside on passing downs in order to help him improve:
“It teaches them to use their hands, because they’re dealing with a more immediate block from the guard or center,” Graham said. “So I thought that was really critical to Tyree’s development. That’s going to help him out on the edge.”
Wilson said there were other benefits, both mentally and physically.
“Me bumping inside really, really slowed down the thinking,” Wilson said. “It helped with my eyes and my hands. Because you really don’t have much time to think. It’s on you quick, so all you can do is react. And when you work on the inside and then move back outside, everything slows back down.”
It also helps Wilson that he has an ideal leader to learn from in Raiders star Maxx Crosby who has been on him not only about his work on the field but also about taking care of himself off the field as well:
Crosby, a notorious stickler for good eating habits and fundamental work, has clearly had an impact on Wilson. The second-year pro looks more muscular. The fundamentals he flashed Tuesday were also far more advanced than the ones he showed his rookie season.
“He just pushed me to be better, always asking me what’s your eating, who’s your nutritionist, how are you stretching?” Wilson said. “Just stuff that makes me better.”
It is things like this that make Crosby such an excellent leader and a cornerstone for this Raiders franchise. Tyree Wilson has a ton of potential, but because of injury, he was behind from the beginning. Now, he will have the chance to show what he is capable of, and the Raiders stand to benefit greatly from it.
Raiders Maxx Crosby feeling ‘incredible’ after offseason surgeries
Maxx Crosby himself is feeling excellent as well which is great after he dealt with a ton of injuries during the year.
After multiple offseason surgeries, Crosby spoke on his incredible rehab and recovery and said that he feels better than he ever has. Crosby had operations to fix issues with his hand and knee but is now ready to lead this franchise back to the postseason.
The post Raiders News: Maxx Crosby Helping Tyree Wilson Develop This Offseason appeared first on Raiders Newswire.
