The Las Vegas Raiders may have changed regimes from the "Patriots way" that Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler brought to town, but they are still stuck with the players they drafted earlier this year in the 2023 NFL Draft. I say stuck, but really, they drafted some good ball players. However, some of them have yet to show what they can really bring to the table.



The Raiders, over the last few years, have been known to get rid of guys drafted by the former regime in little to no time. They could very well do that with some of these guys, which would be a shame.



The season hasn't started off the best, but at the midway point, there is some positivity after seeing interim head coach Antonio Pierce dominate the New York Giants, his former team. Now that it's the midway point, though, it's time to grade the rookies.

Raiders' rookie report card

Tyree Wilson, DE – Round 1, Pick 7

Grade – C: Tyree Wilson has had a rough start to his NFL career for someone who was picked so highly. With the Chandler Jones situation happening, this would have been the perfect time for the rookie to make his mark, but he has somewhat failed to do so.



In just nine full weeks, he has 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, 17 tackles, and three quarterback hits. No tackles for loss for Wilson. He hasn't been awful outside the first few games of the season. He is getting better, so that does balance it out a bit. However, he has been underwhelming to say the least.

Michael Mayer, TE – Round 2, Pick 35

Grade – B-: Mayer has been okay through nine weeks. He hasn't had as many opportunities, so that doesn't help his grade at all. I feel like if the targets were there, we would be talking about an A- guy right now. He has been able to get open, but the QBs have missed him on many occasions.



The one thing he does need to improve at is his pass blocking. It's been okay, to say the least, but it certainly needs to be better. His yards after the catch have been great whenever he does get the ball. Mayer is still a guy we can all see developing into something special.

Byron Young, DT – Round 3, Pick 70

Grade – C: Young has played just 25% of defensive snaps this year. He has played six games, and the other three, he was inactive. So, the sample size isn't huge. He hasn't been terrible, but he certainly hasn't been better than the guys in front of him, like Bilal Nichols or Adam Butler. Young still has a lot of development to do.



He is young and raw, very raw. He can be better off the snap, and he is a bit small for the NFL defensive tackle, especially with how the Raiders and Patrick Graham want to use him. But we haven't really seen enough to give a definite grade.

Tre Tucker, WR – Round 3, Pick 100

Grade – B+: Tucker has probably been the second-best rookie in this class. Given the small percentage of offensive snaps he has played (27%) so far this season, he has been great. Tucker has been targeted ten times this season and has six receptions. Not to mention, he has worked with three different quarterbacks week after week as a rookie.



Tucker not only has the longest play of the season that happened last game when Aidan O'Connell hit him deep for a 50-yard play, but he also has the second-longest play for a 48-yard reception. Tucker is averaging 20 yards per reception in 2023. With some consistency around him, he can be a real deep threat.

Jakorian Bennett, CB – Round 4, Pick 104

Grade – C: Bennett has been okay as well. He has been benched a few times, but a lot of that is because he is a rookie playing the second-highest position in the league. Not to mention, he has guys around him who are just more experienced. He will be good; it will just take some development. It also doesn't help that Amik Robertson is playing at a crazy high level right now.



Bennett has had moments of blown coverage, but he hasn't been bad enough that you can just chalk him up as a bust. He has also had bright moments where his speed has shined. It's a growing process, and Bennett is just a product of that.

Aidan O’Connell, QB – Round 4, Pick 135

Grade – B+: Well, what needs to be said that we didn't already see on Sunday when the Las Vegas Raiders beat the New York Giants. In just his second start as a rookie, O'Connell is responsible for the longest play of the season – a 50-yard bomb to Tre Tucker. O'Connell doesn't have a huge arm, but he will throw it, and he is accurate. We can't say the same about the other two quarterbacks.



O'Connell has been the best rookie for the Raiders in 2023. His first start started shaky, but his fourth-quarter drive was amazing, besides the turnover on a bootleg play that shouldn't have been called. O'Connell played his tail off on Sunday. All he did was what it takes to win.

Chris Smith, S – Round 5, Pick 170

Grade – C-: Smith has been inactive a lot this season. And, when he has played, it’s been on special teams. There, he has been fine, but he could definitely work on perfecting his role. There are areas of his defense that definitely need some work. But from what we have seen, I would give a C -.

Nesta Jade Silvera, DT – Round 7, Pick 231

Grade – C: Nesta Jade Silvera looks like he could be a serious depth piece on the defensive line in the future for the Raiders despite being their very last pick of the draft. He has played just 24 defensive snaps this year, which is only 19% of the total defensive snaps, and in those snaps, he has just two tackles. We haven’t seen enough of him to really form a great opinion.

Amari Burney, LB – Round 6, Pick 231

Grade – C+: Burney has played 71 snaps, which is 48% of all of the defensive snaps this season. He has played in just two total games but has 12 total tackles. With the injuries the Raiders have been having to their linebackers, Burney will only get more opportunities. He has filled in when his name has been called and has been pretty good. His sideline-to-sideline speed has certainly helped.

The Raiders' rookies have been fine, to say the least. Of the nine total guys, they have had two or three really stand out. This class has a lot of developing to do, but who knows, they could end up being solid.

Raiders’ Antonio Pierce has quote of the year following win over Giants

The Raiders interim head coach got his first win against his former team.