Grade the trade: Raiders send a former blue-chip prospect to the NFC, but add great value in return in multiple ways
The Las Vegas Raiders made a move on draft day that freed up some big-time space for them on their roster, and allowed them to move up in the draft.
The Las Vegas Raiders have been through several regimes in the last few years. That means there are a handful of guys who were drafted by the regime in power at the time. For example, defensive end Tyree Wilson was selected No. 7 overall by the Josh McDaniels/Dave Ziegler regime.
Since then, and no slight at Wilson, it’s been clear that he was not worth the No. 7 overall pick. I’ll give Wilson his flowers because he has steadily improved every season, and towards the end of last year, he started to come on strong. However, maybe there’s a world where he is better on a different team. Not to mention, there is a bit of a logjam at his position right now, where he is somewhat holding up production from younger guys like Tonka Hemingway and now rookie Keyron Crawford, so this trade does help. In that aspect, I love the trade. And, they moved up to select safety Dalton Johnson at pick No. 150, who is the teammate of Treydan Stukes.
I’ll grade this trade an A-, just because we’re not sure what Johnson will be, yet.
What will Tyree Wilson be doing in New Orleans?
“New Orleans takes a swing here on the former first-round pick in exchange for a day 3 pick swap. Wilson enters the EDGE rusher room as depth behind players like Chase Young and Carl Granderson. Wilson will battle with Chris Rumph II and Fadil Diggs at the position for DC Brandon Staley’s unit. I think this move makes sense as an upside, roster-building decision for New Orleans since they did not see value in the edge rusher class on day two or early on day three.
“Instead, they do a pick swap to acquire a former top ten selection who hasn’t lived up to expectations so far in his NFL career. Wilson has some versatility along the defensive line, and Staley has valued that in the past. It will be intriguing to see if he carves out a consistent role for the Saints in 2026, but this move makes plenty of sense for both sides of the deal.” – Adam Holt, A to Z Sports New Orleans
