Pete Carroll gives the injury update no one wants to hear after Raiders' pre-draft mystery was shut down
Before the draft kicked off this offseason, there was a report by someone out there that stated the Las Vegas Raiders were worried about Christian Wilkins in his recovery, and that could force them to draft a defensive tackle. Of course, they ended up drafting Ashton Jeanty, but at that time, OTAs and minicamps were […]
Before the draft kicked off this offseason, there was a report by someone out there that stated the Las Vegas Raiders were worried about Christian Wilkins in his recovery, and that could force them to draft a defensive tackle.
Of course, they ended up drafting Ashton Jeanty, but at that time, OTAs and minicamps were going on, and we were seeing pictures of Wilkins at OTAs in line for drills. The report stated that he was back in a boot, and when you looked at those pictures, he most certainly was not. So, beat writers in the community and on this very beat, slightly said it was false, including myself, and we all kept it moving, especially after the Cleveland Browns, who traded back with the Jacksonville Jaguars, drafted Mason Graham at No. 5.
But, it turns out that report was right. To what extent, I'm not exactly sure. But, the Raiders are certainly having an issue with Wilkins and his recovery.
"Yeah, this has been a difficult recovery," Pete Carroll said on Wednesday after an OTA practice. "He has done everything he needs to do. He's been here every day, extra early, working hard, and still working it, but he's not ready to get back out. You know, we are in the midst of a long, challenging process here.
"Fortunately, there is a lot of time, and we are going to take every bit of it. We have really tried to be really diligent about the way we have worked it, the way we have monitored it, and all of that, and he's been on board the whole time. So, it has been challenging."
That doesn't sound very optimistic. Wilkins suffered a Jones fracture — a break of the bone that connects the pinkie toe to the base of the foot, last season in a game where he jumped over a teammate after his teammate got a sack. And, he sat out the rest of the season.
Now, it feels like there is a chance that Wilkins isn't ready by the time training camp starts. It also feels like that is a huge reason the Raiders drafted two defensive tackles in the 2025 NFL Draft in Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues. With Adam Butler next to those two, the interior can still be pretty good without Wilkins. But Wilkins is a game-changer, so they will certainly need him if they want a chance at a wildcard.
Raiders GM John Spytek uses examples of the past and present to explain why Ashton Jeanty was the pick all along
The Raiders love him already.
