Raiders NFL Draft recap: Who’s saying Viva Las Vegas?

The Las Vegas Raiders used to be associated with the demonic doll Chucky. Now, there’s a Michael Mayer on the roster.

Going into the NFL Draft, the Raiders were tied with the Houston Texans with the most picks. After Saturday, the team only used nine of their 12 picks. Here’s a breakdown of who was selected and in what round.

Introducing your 2023 Draft Class 🙌 pic.twitter.com/gHZkvurTgc

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 29, 2023

Round 1

The Las Vegas Raiders have selected Tyree Wilson with the seventh pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Wilson, a defensive end out of Texas Tech, is coming off a senior year where he recorded 14 tackles for a loss and seven sacks before a foot injury cut his season short.

Round 2

The Las Vegas Raiders kicked off Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft by trading up to draft tight end Michael Mayer out of Notre Dame. Las Vegas moved up from No. 38 to No. 35 by swapping their second-round pick and No. 141 this year with the Indianapolis Colts.

Mayer leaves the Fighting Irish with several records in the books, recording 180 catches for just under 2,100 yards.

Round 3

With two picks, the Raiders went grabbed a player for both their offense and defense.

First, the team selected defensive tackle Byron Young with the 70th overall pick from Alabama. Young earned First Team All-SEC recognition after recording 48 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks in his senior season.

Thirty picks later, the Raiders ended their day by adding Cincinnati’s Tre Tucker to its receiving corps. In four years as a Bearcat, Tucker recorded 1,426 receiving yards with eight touchdowns on 111 receptions.

Round 4

Two trades helped the Raiders consolidate their draft picks and select two players in round four.

After a trade with the New England Patriots, the Raiders selected first, with the 104th overall pick, cornerback Jakorian Bennett out of Maryland. The former Terrapin impressed scouts at the NFL Combine with his 4.3 40-yard dash, one of the fastest at this year’s event.

Thirty picks later, and following a trade with the Houston Texans, the Raiders grabbed quarterback Aidan O’Connell out of Purdue. Twice named an All-Big Ten selection, the former Boilermaker racked up just over 9,000 passing yards in his college career.

Round 5

Through the first four rounds, the Raiders went defense then offense with each of its first six picks. That trend ended in the fifth round when the team selected defenders for the remainder of the draft. First up, safety Christopher Smith II out of Georgia. In five college seasons, Smith notched 87 solo tackles, six interceptions and 10 pass deflections.

Round 6

The next defender selected by the Raiders was Florida linebacker Amari Burney with the 203rd selection. In his final year as a Gator, Burney started 13 games and recorded 41 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, four sacks and two interceptions.

Round 7

And the final pick for the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2023 NFL Draft was defensive tackle Nesta Jade Silvera out of Arizona State. In his college career, Silvera notched 161 total tackles between the University of Miami and Arizona State.

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