List Of Raiders’ Second-Year Players Facing Uphill Battle for Playing Time in OTAs

If you were a child growing up in the late 1990s or early 2000s, you most likely saw the iconic quicksand scene in the movie “Jumanji.”

Tyree Wilson and many other players in the 2023 Raiders NFL Draft class may be able to identify with Robin Williams’ character since they too could find themselves buried deep in the depth chart come OTAs.

Here, we’ll examine four second-year players who will likely compete this summer for playing time and possibly a berth on the team.

Wilson Tyree

With Christian Wilkins joining the Raiders this summer and Malcolm Koonce’s breakout performance in the second part of the previous campaign, there aren’t enough defensive lineman to go around. Wilson is “firmly behind” Maxx Crosby and Koonce on the depth chart to start OTAs, according to Tashan Reed of The Ahtletic.

Granted, Reed did state that the player selected seventh overall has been improving and that playing defensive line last season helped him become a better player. Wilson, meanwhile, is headed for a backup position once more in year two because he isn’t taking Wilkins’ or John Jenkins’ place on the inside.

That’s not great for a top-10 pick, and he’ll have to fight with Janarius Robinson for playing time because Robinson had some promising play towards the conclusion of the previous season.

Byron Young

In short, Young’s first season was a complete bust. After being selected in the third round, he was placed on the physically unable to perform list for training camp. He only played in two preseason games, seeing only 31 snaps, and had a below-average 51.8 grade from Pro Football Focus. He was essentially a healthy scratch for the bulk of the year and received very little playing time throughout the regular season.

Again, there’s a good chance that the Alabama product’s spot on the roster is in jeopardy given Las Vegas’ depth on defense. Last season, the squad only had six defensive tackles, and Wilkins, Jenkins, and Adam Butler are here to stay. It’s also likely that the Raiders will only have five DTs on the roster if Wilson is getting reps inside.

Because of this, it is challenging to envision Young playing defense, and over the next few months, he will have competition from players like Matthew Butler, Nesta Jade Silvera, Marquan McCall, and a few undrafted free agents.

Jakorian Bennett

Bennett is in the greatest position of all the guys on this list going into OTAs because, as Reed pointed out, the former Terripan started Tuesday’s practice as one of the defense’s two outside cornerbacks.

At cornerback, Reed stated, “Bryan Facyson and Jayrian Bennett are winning the position battle.” The other outside cornerback slot is up for grabs, but the Raiders have two established starting cornerbacks in nickelback Nate Hobbs and outside Jack Jones.

Bennett and Facyson are now vying for place, but maybe rookies Decamerion Richardson and M.J. Devonshire will join the fray at some time. It’s challenging to determine who is in the starting lineup because both of them played with the first team defense on Tuesday despite Jones missing practice.

However, the last sentence—which provides some context—about Jack Jones skipping practice is really important. Jones is another defender who played well toward the conclusion of the 2023 season and will start when he gets back on the field. Bennett merely needs to defeat Facyson to secure the starting position, but for the time being, the more seasoned player is the clear favorite.

Additionally, as Reed noted, the front management warmed up the seat of the second-year pro by spending two draft picks on cornebacks.

Chris Smith, Jr.

Smith only saw action on defense during the Raiders’ Week 15 demolition of the Los Angeles Chargers in the previous fall’s regular season. That is by no means a serious reflection on the fifth-round pick, as rookie Day 3 players frequently see little action on the field.