Top draft fits for Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson

While Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. gets the share of the attention among edge rushers in the 2023 draft class—and rightfully so—Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson has as strong a case as any to be the second DE drafted.

Though his sack numbers (14 over the last two seasons) aren’t as strong as Anderson’s (34.5 over three years), Wilson is one of the more relentless edge rushers coming out and he knows how to affect the quarterback even if he’s not riding him into the dirt.

Wilson’s seen his draft stock do nothing but rise since the combine and he should hear his name called somewhere in the top 10. Draft position aside, here are the three best fits for Wilson as he makes the jump to the NFL.

Chicago Bears

No team was worse at getting to the QB than the Bears were in 2022. Their league-low 20 sacks was underwhelming, as was the fact that they had just one player—Trevis Gipson—with more than 30 pressures or 20 hurries.

While reports indicate that Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is Chicago’s top priority with the No. 9 pick, if he’s gone, Wilson would be a fantastic get. According to Pro Football Focus, Wilson led all Big 12 defenders with 50 QB pressures and a pass-rush win rate of 22 percent in 2022. The 6-foot-6, 275-pound defensive end also logged 13.5 or more tackles for loss and seven sacks each of the last two seasons.

Atlanta Falcons

The Bears may have had the worst pass rush in the NFL, but the Falcons had the second-worst. They had just one more sack and only 33 more team pressures than Chicago did as well. The addition of Bud Dupree will help, but Atlanta’s 39 combined sacks the last two years is the lowest in the NFL over that span.

Yes, Atlanta’s top three pass rushers all return from a season ago, but that trio combined for only 12.5 sacks, and only one of them—Grady Jarrett—registered more than 35 pressures or 20 hurries. Adding a player of Wilson’s caliber will only help make Lorenzo Carter and Arnold Ebiketie more effective pass rushers.

Seattle Seahawks

While Uchenna Nwosu and Darrell Taylor both return in 2023, both are in the final year of their deals and three of Seattle’s top five pass rushers from last season are gone. Wilson can line up at defensive end or outside linebacker, allowing the Seahawks to keep both Nwosu and Taylor on the edge, and giving the team a trio of speedy rushers who can get into the backfield in a hurry.

Adding a defensive tackle like Carter makes more sense for the Seahawks, but they haven’t had a player hit double-digit sacks since Frank Clark in 2018, and now is their time to add a true game-wrecking player off the edge who’s capable of consistent 10-or-more sack seasons.