The Las Vegas Raiders made a major splash this offseason when they inked Christian Wilkins to a mega-deal.
The former Clemson star signed a massive four-year, $110 million deal ($84.75 million guaranteed) with the Raiders when free agency got underway in March, and Raiders general manager Tom Telesco is thrilled to have Wilkins on the team’s defensive line.
Telesco recently spoke about the addition of Wilkins and how the 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive tackle has already proven to be a perfect fit since joining the Raiders after spending the first five seasons of his NFL career (2019-23) with the Miami Dolphins.
According to Telesco, the 28-year-old Wilkins checked off everything Las Vegas was looking for in the free agent market.
“We try and be very selective in who we sign, obviously, and obviously Christian was a big signing,” Telesco said. “But he kind of checked all the boxes we’re looking for in a free agent, just as far as how he played in the past, what his age was, the position he plays – which is a premier position – to find that interior defensive lineman that can not only play the run but play the pass, and has the character and work ethic we’re looking for.
“The day that we signed him, that he came in, he did his media work, signed his contract, took his physical – not in that order, obviously – physical, contract, media. But then he was out here on the field getting his workout in. … That’s what we want to see. They’re here to play football. Work ethic is a big part of it, especially when you sign a big contract. So, he’s fit right in with us.”
Wilkins, a two-time team captain in Miami, has quickly and smoothly stepped into a leadership role on his new team.
“Christian, he’s a natural leader,” Telesco said. “Even though he’s a veteran, even though he’s played in the league, when you come to a new team, sometimes guys will take a step back and kind of see the lay of the land. He walked in here and he just leads naturally right away, and that’s kind of rare to see.”
A first-round pick (13th overall) of the Dolphins in the 2019 NFL Draft, Wilkins has played in 81 career games and made 77 starts while racking up 353 tackles (202 solo), 20.5 sacks and 43 tackles for loss in his pro career to date. Last season, he started in all 17 games and finished with 63 tackles (36 solo), 10 tackles for loss and a career-high 9.0 sacks, which ranked fifth in the NFL among defensive tackles.
Wilkins’ 353 career tackles since entering the league are the most among all defensive linemen over that span and the second most in NFL history among defensive linemen in their first five NFL seasons.
Now that Wilkins is in Vegas, he will form a very formidable duo with Pro Bowl and All-Pro defensive end Maxx Crosby, and Wilkins gives the Raiders exactly what they want in the middle of their defensive front.
“If we’re going to build the defense, you have to start up front. Rush and coverage, that’s what we need,” Telesco said. “But to have him and Maxx, and we’ve got probably four, five, six different guys we can bring in on the defensive front to get after the quarterback, and that makes your coverage look a heck of a lot better in the back end.
“But that was the thought behind it. We can’t have everybody just sliding the protection to Maxx all the time. We have some rushers on the other side. We need some interior pass rush. That’s the hardest to find, and that’s why we spent that much money on Christian Wilkins.”
–Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
A limited number of signed footballs from Clemson’s 2022 class are still available. Get yours while supplies last! Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!
Most Popular
Comments / 0