During the 2026 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints may not have drafted a new edge rusher to add to the defensive end room, but they did still add a new face to the position.
During the third day of the draft, New Orleans agreed to send one of their fifth-round selections to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for former first round selection Tyree Wilson.
Wilson, a 6-foot-5, 263-pound top-10 selection out of Texas Tech gives the Saints another edge rusher that could benefit from a change of scenery, much like top defensive end Chase Young has since his arrival to the Crescent City.
Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley said that he, the personnel staff and head coach Kellen Moore all had previous exposure to Wilson as he came into the league and throughout his seasons with the Raiders. Their evaluations all came together when in the Saints’ offseason pursuit of the pass rusher.
“Our personnel staff did a great job of having a vision for the acquisition, and that it was possible,” Staley said. “All of us had done a lot of work on him coming out from various places, and I think it came together the right way, both coaches and personnel. Kellen was familiar with him playing against him in other spots.”
Staley and Moore were also in the AFC West with the Los Angeles Chargers. During which time, Moore’s offense game-planned against Wilson and the Raiders twice in 2023.
During his three years in Las Vegas, Wilson tallied 12 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss, but even as the No.7 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, the pass rusher saw no more than 50 percent of defensive snaps in a single season.
The hope is that New Orleans will be able to provide him with opportunities that could help him take another step with a new defense and coaching staff to support him.
“He’s got such a huge future in front of him and a fresh start” Staley said. “Hopefully we can just help him get there, because he’s a really good kid, he works really hard. He’s been great to coach so far.”
Expect Wilson to see quite a bit of work over training camp. The Saints focused on their rookies and newcomers seeing a lot of action during their camp month last year and the plan is to do the same this season.
While veteran and established players may see early reps, the volume will favor those that are jostling for positioning in the roster or looking to prove their value to the team, much like Wilson. New Orleans doesn’t sound like it’s going to short him of that opportunity.
“I would put him in that group where he’s going to get a ton of work during camp,” said Staley. “And really get a chance to improve and shine, and hopefully be ready to have a hell of a season for us.”
