2023 Las Vegas Raiders Same Position Re-Draft

The 2023 draft class, Dave Ziegler’s and Josh McDaniels first class with a full season of preparation, and the second class I was able to predict their first round pick (thankfully I stopped being able to do that after this season). The class features a few players still on the roster as is, and a few that should continue to be Raiders going forward, but also a few massive whiffs.

A fun idea I had was a re-draft, but not any re-draft that just picks the best player, I wanted to re-draft the Raiders for 2020 but use the same positions at each selection. For example in 2019 at 4th overall, while I would desperately want to take a defensive tackle, the Raiders selected EDGE Clelin Ferrell and thus they’ll stick at EDGE. A few rules:

• Any player can be selected, but only one’s who were available with that pick to start with, for example a busted first round pick, who still produced but not at a first round value I can’t take in round 3 or 4
• I MUST take a player at the same position that was taken at that selection (QB for QB, RB for RB, etc)
• The overall selections remain the same, I won’t assume a trade does or doesn’t happen

I plan to do a redraft for 2019 to 2025 re-draft and then my own personal “what I would do” 2026 re-draft so keep an eye on those.

Round 1, 7th Overall: EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu (55th overall)
Original Pick: EDGE Tyree Wilson

• Immediately after Tyree Wilson went Bijan Robinson, Jalen Carter, Darnell Wright, Peter Skornoski, and Jahmyr Gibbs and right before him was Devon Witherspoon but that said he was shockingly not the worst first rounder that year with a few other massive whiffs sprinkled in. It took a second for me to find the better pass rusher here with McDonald & Tuli Tuipulotu the main standouts to take here. Wilson was an athletic anomaly out of Texas Tech with a 6’6, 265 frame, 35 inch arms, and good reported athletic testing. A foot injury slowed his initial season, and he’s developed into a quality 4th pass rusher and situational run defender, which for the 7th overall pick is not good, or great value, and logged 91 tackles, 16 TFL, 12 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles for the Raiders before being shipped to New Orleans earlier this year.

  Will McDonald has his inconsistencies, and he’s a pretty poor run defender, but the 27 year old does well vs the pass and has developed into a strong pass rusher in that regard. That said, Chargers 2nd rounder Tuli Tuipulotu has developed into a better pass rusher, and far better run defender giving him the edge here. The 24 year old has 144 tackles, 39 TFL, 52 QB hits, and 26 sacks along with 5 forced fumbles in his first three seasons, which feature a pro bowl 2025 due to 13 sacks,...