Bill Williamson is the site manager of Silver and Black Pride. He has covered the NFL since 1996 and he has covered the Raiders since 2008.
Let's look at how the Las Vegas Raiders' 2023 draft class fared in a 32-13 Week 6 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and what to expect going into a Week 7 road game at the Los Angeles Rams.
Eight of the nine players from the draft class are currently on the roster. The Raiders cut third-round pick Byron Young and he was claimed by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was inactive in Week 1.
Tyree Wilson:
The No. 7 overall pick had a second straight quiet game after he had a strong performance in Week 4. Wilson played just 34 percent of the snaps and had no stats against the Steelers.
Michael Mayer:
The second-round pick from Notre Dame was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list last week and he will miss, at least, three more games. He has already been out for three games. He has four catches for 21 yards this season.
Tre Tucker:
It was a weird Week 6 for the third-round pick. He played a career high 95 percent of the snaps, yet had no catches on two targets as the Raiders played without both Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. With Adams traded, the Raiders will be relying on Tucker. He must respond.
Jakorian Bennett:
The fourth-round pick played just 48 percent of the snaps, his fewest of the season, because the Steelers ran so much. He did have another pass defensed. He has, at least, one in every game and has seven on the season.
Aidan O'Connell:
The fourth-round pick started his first game of the season and the 11th of his career. The Raiders are 5-6 in O'Connell's starts. He didn't have a great game Sunday as he completed 27 of 40 for 227 yards. But he didn't play a great game.
Chris Smith:
The fifth-round safety from Georgia played 72 percent of the snaps on special teams. He didn't play on defense after getting 11 snaps in Week 5, which was his only time on defense this season.
Amari Burney:
Burney didn't play any snaps on defense after playing a total of 20 snaps the past two weeks. He did play a season-high 96 percent of the snaps on special teams against the Steelers.
Nesta Jade Silvera.
Silvera played 10 snaps in Week 6 as he did the week before. He played six snaps on special teams.
Conclusion:
The Raiders need more from Wilson, Tucker and O'Connell against the Rams.