Welcome to the eighth daily installment of the NFL Draft 1-through-32 series on DK Pittsburgh Sports, intended to introduce you, a prospect at a time, to the top 32 players in the class on a consensus basis, leading right up to the main event.
That, of course, will be April 27-29, in Kansas City, Mo., though all 32 teams, including the Steelers on the South Side, will operate from their local headquarters.
NO. 8: TYREE WILSON
Texas Tech defensive end
Wilson is the No. 8-rated player on Pro Football Focus' Big Board. While Will Anderson Jr. is coveted in a higher regard in this draft class, Wilson brings the punch as a powerful defensive end with an NFL-ready frame for a 22-year-old.
COLLEGE BACKGROUND
Wilson was off to a ripping-hot start in 2022 before a foot injury derailed his season after 10 games.
He racked up 61 total tackles, 14.0 for loss, and 7.0 sacks while forcing a fumble, recovering a fumble, and hurrying the quarterback eight times. He was ranked third on the team in tackles at the time of his injury before finishing fourth.
At the time of his injury, Wilson tied for third among Power Five players and was ninth among Football Bowl Subdivision players in tackles for loss. He also led Power Five players with 50 pressures, which ranked second in FBS, according to PFF, and he was one of seven FBS players to record 60 tackles, at least 10.0 tackles for loss, and 6.0 or more sacks at the time of his injury.
The New London, Texas, native was a consensus three-star recruit who committed to Texas A&M among 23 offers out of high school. He transferred to Texas Tech prior to the start of the 2020 season, after spending a year at Texas A&M. He measured at just under 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds out of high school in the class of 2018.
NFL COMBINE, PRO DAY
Because of his foot injury, Wilson only took part in the bench press at the NFL Combine. He put up 23 reps, which tied for 11th best among Combine edge rushers. He did this event while having hardware still in place in his surgically-repaired foot. At the Combine, he measured at 6-foot-6, 271 pounds with a 35 5/8-inch arm length and a 9 5/8-inch hand width.
While Wilson's athleticism did not grade out as highly as other edge prospects, he received NFL Next Gen Stats grades of 91 for production and for his overall score, each of which rank second among edge rushers. He earned a prospect grade of 6.77, fifth-best at the Combine, which translates to "Year 1 starter."
Wilson earned rave reviews for his interviewing process at the Combine, with the NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah reporting he was a "polished" pro within the process.
Wilson was medically cleared March 24, but did not work out at Texas Tech's pro day las week. He will hold a private workout for scouts in mid-April.
MOCK DRAFT
The USA Today mock draft consensus tracker has Wilson going at No. 7 overall to Las Vegas, with an average draft slotting at 7.67.
Our own latest mock draft has Wilson going to Atlanta at No. 8 overall.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE STEELERS' STANDPOINT
Rotating Wilson in with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith would be fever-dream stuff, but the Steelers have larger needs to address by the time Wilson would be up for selection.
COREY'S TAKE
As long as his foot is healthy, Wilson could make waves as a long-term development player. His tape is fun to watch just based on his power attributes. His private workout will be extremely telling, so we'll all have to wait and see on that.
