New Orleans buys low on Tyree Wilson while Las Vegas reshuffles roster and adds draft value
By Zachary Pereles Apr 25, 2026 at 3:43 pm ET • 3 min read 
Getty Images The Las Vegas Raiders are starting fresh this offseason, and they're giving one of their past draft disappointments a fresh start in the process. The Raiders dealt Tyree Wilson, the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, to the New Orleans Saints on Saturday and moved up on Day 3 of the draft in the process. Here are full terms of the deal, which has already been made official:
- Saints get: EDGE Tyree Wilson, 2026 seventh-round pick (No. 219 overall)
- Raiders get: 2026 fifth-round pick (No. 150 overall)
The Raiders used the pick to select Arizona safety Dalton Johnson.
Wilson, who turns 26 next month, has just 12 career sacks across three seasons (50 games, seven starts) and had trouble cracking the Raiders' edge rush rotation. He played on just 44%, 50% and 41% of the Raiders' defensive snaps across 2023, 2024 and 2025, respectively.
New Orleans hopes it can provide him the new start he very much needs. Here's how both teams fared in the exchange.
Saints: B
Wilson was always a project coming out of Texas Tech, a player whose physical tools plus decent production screamed high upside, but also a player who needed to refine his game.
The refinement and improvement have been slow going. Wilson's inability to even play on a consistent basis opposite Maxx Crosby was a worrying sign, and his time in Las Vegas had simply ran its course. He is a poor tackler -- an issue that was a red flag as a prospect -- and inconsistent as a run defender
But he's a reasonable, low-cost bet for the Saints to make. He actually has improved his pressure rate all three years, from 8.1% to 11.6% to 12.3%. His average time to pressure has also dropped from 2.9 seconds his rookie year to 2.5 the last two seasons. Three of his four sacks last year came on third down, and he had a 16.5% pressure rate on that down.
Wilson's not being brought in to be a top-of-the-line EDGE like he was in Las Vegas. He's being brought in to be a potential situational pass rusher and as depth behind Chase Young and Carl Granderson. If things work out, maybe he can start opposite Young. But this is a bet on the upside that was there just three years ago. Brandon Staley did an excellent job last year as the Saints' defensive coordinator, getting a major bounce-back year from another former high draft pick in Young.
It isn't always a direct path for highly drafted edge rushers to productive NFL players. Think of 2025 breakouts such as Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson. They found a new home, a better fit, and thrived. Perhaps Wilson can be next. Perhaps not. Either way, it's worth the Saints finding out for a minimal price, and the fact that they still got a seventh-round pick back is a nice boost.
Raiders: B-
The Raiders of 2026 will look very different from the Raiders of 2025, but they will feel very different, too. Last year's dysfunction is gone, and with new coach Klint Kubiak and new quarterback Fernando Mendoza, there are new faces to the offense. The Raiders have done really well to surround Mendoza with supporting pieces, too.
Las Vegas had a logjam at EDGE. Crosby is still there after nearly going to the Ravens. Kwity Paye, a strong run defender, came over in free agency. The Raiders re-signed Malcolm Koonce, who flashed before injuries, and drafted exciting Auburn product Keyron Crawford in the third round. If the new regime felt Wilson wasn't a fit, it made sense to jettison him and move up significantly in the draft.
They'll hope Johnson can make this trade look good. He was Mike Renner's No. 292 prospect and No. 226 on the consensus big board, but Jon Spytek will hope he's found a mid-late gem.
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