Raiders Week 3 Recap: Sophomore Player Watch vs. Carolina

Let’s take a look at the Las Vegas Raiders’ second-year players and see how the 2023 draft class performed in a 36-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers and what to expect ahead of Week 4 at home against the Cleveland Browns.

Eight of the nine players in the draft class are currently on the roster. The Raiders cut third-round pick Byron Young and he was claimed by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was inactive in Week 1.

Tyree Wilson:

The No. 7 overall pick was back on the field after missing the win in Baltimore due to a knee injury he suffered early in Week 1. Despite injuries, Wilson is still not a starter and a rotation player, which is not a good sign. Wilson, who played 46 percent of the snaps against Carolina, had two tackles against the Panthers. He had a nice pass rush and almost got to Andy Dalton on one play where he threw a touchdown. But it was another overall quiet game for this player who needs to show he was a worthwhile choice.

Michael Mayer:

The second-round pick from Notre Dame had a quiet start to the season. Mayer had one catch for seven yards against Carolina. He has four catches for 21 yards this season. Mayer was only on the field for 48 percent of the snaps. He played 57 percent in Week 1 and 62 percent in Week 2. Mayer only played less than 48 percent of snaps twice as a rookie. While rookie Brock Bowers is thriving, their other high draft pick has already played a big role this season.

Tre Tucker:

The third-round pick had a big game with seven catches for 96 yards and a score against the Panthers. Much of it happened in the trash, but he and quarterback Gardner Minshew connected on a 54-yard bomb early in the game (echoes of their preseason chemistry). He was on the field for a career-high 81 percent of snaps Sunday. Perhaps this speedster’s greater involvement can boost the offense.

Jakorian Bennett:

The fourth-round pick is an integral part of the defense. He played a season-high 93 percent of defensive snaps. He had pass defense and had done so at least once in every game. Bennett has four this season after having three as a rookie. The Maryland product started last season as a starter but lost his job. He doesn’t seem to be heading to the bench anytime soon.

Aidan O’Connell:

O’Connell, who started 10 games last season, got his first action of the season in garbage time. He completed nine of 12 passes for 82 yards and one touchdown pass. Coach Antonio Pierce opened the door to a quarterback change on Monday, but is sticking with Minshew this week.

Chris Smith:

The fifth-round safety out of Georgia played 21 snaps on special teams and none on defense against the Panthers. He doesn’t play a role on defense at this point, but with Marcus Epps out for the season with a knee injury, he could be getting closer to a chance.

Amari Burney:

Like Smith, the sixth-round pick was an all-special teams pick on Sunday with 20 snaps played. He hasn’t played defense this season.

Nesta Jade Silvera.

Maybe it was the bad time, but Silvera played the best performance of her career against the Panthers: 26 snaps. He played a total of 18 defensive snaps in the first two weeks. As a rookie, the seventh-round pick played defense twice, totaling 24 snaps. It will be interesting to see if this becomes a trend.

Diploma:

Tucker has been a bright spot and Bennett has been good, but Wilson and Mayer need to get going.