The Raiders made a big splash in free agency this offseason, signing Christian Wilkins to a huge deal. The hope is that pairing him with Maxx Crosby will give the Raiders one of the league’s best pass rushes. But where does Wilkins rank among the top defensive tackles in the league?
In a recent article by Jeremey Fowler of ESPN, he interviewed dozens of coaches, executives, and coaches and asked them to rank the top 10 defensive tackles in the league heading into the 2024 season. The consensus ranking had Wilkins at No. 6, just ahead of Derrick Brown and DeForest Buckner.
Here is what Fowler and an AFC executive had to say about the new pass rusher for the Raiders heading into the year:
The one thing holding back Wilkins had been his sack production. He didn’t have it through his first four years, and the Dolphins didn’t pay him last offseason.
So, Wilkins flipped the script with nine sacks in 2023, leading to a massive four-year, $110 million free agency deal with Las Vegas.
“Gives you a little bit of everything — just a solid all-around player,” an AFC executive said. “Might be a notch below the top, top guys as far as high-end traits, but he really turned a corner over the last year-and-a-half as a rusher.”
Wilkins is widely considered one of the league’s best do-it-all defensive tackles. He stops the run as well as he rushes the passer, and is an every-down player. That is the type of player the Raiders have been missing for the last several seasons.
If Wilkins can continue to be as productive as he was in Miami, the Raiders have a chance to be really good on defense. And that is what they are banking on this season.
