Oakland Raiders: Should We Believe the Tyler Wilson Hype?

When the Oakland Raiders drafted quarterback Tyler Wilson in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, a lot of fans were scratching their heads.

May 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Tyler Wilson (8) throws the ball during rookie minicamp at the Raiders team headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The same Raiders team that traded for young and on-the-rise quarterback Matt Flynn earlier in the offseason? The same team that has prospective quarterback talent in Terrelle Pryor?

Yes, that same Raiders team. Although, the signing of Wilson makes sense for some different reasons.

First, can you ever have enough quarterbacks?

Sure, Flynn and Pryor are good projected talent, but Wilson should fall in that category as well. The 112th pick in the draft has come to a Raiders squad that is unsure of who their starting quarterback will be, and really, the job is completely up for grabs.

In his senior year at the University of Arkansas, Wilson threw for 3,387 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Raiders took him relatively late in the draft and I think it was a good choice.

Many (including myself) had Flynn essentially inked in as the starter since the day the Raiders brought him in, but now, it doesn’t quite look that way.

Say what you want about rookie mini-camp, but it still provides the youngsters with an opportunity to prove themselves to their coaching staff. In this case, Wilson caught the eye of his head coach Dennis Allen.

“Obviously, picking up a new system, there’s a little bit of rust there,” Allen said. “But throwing the ball, he’s done a nice job. I don’t have any question about his arm strength and his accuracy.”

“If anything, it’s the receivers that are going to have to adjust to the velocity on Wilson’s throws. Several times, laser-like throws went through or off a receiver’s hands,” said Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times. 

Those are obviously huge words of acknowledgement for the rookie out of Arkansas, and it sure looks like he is heading down the right path.

Should fans believe all the hype?

I definitely believe so, and there should be no reason not to.

Raiders fans have always been very passionate about their team, and the opportunity to latch on to and support another young talent should entertain them.

Wilson is a great young talent, and he has a lot of great qualities that will help him excel at the professional level. He definitely has the arm strength to complete deep passes down the field to Oakland’s speedy receivers, and he boasts a very accurate arm. One thing that most people will also realize about Wilson is his leadership skills, as he was able to rally his troops during his time at Arkansas while all of the drama surrounding head coach Bobby Petrino was going on.

Could this be real? Could the Raiders have actually hit the jackpot this time and be able to start a promising rookie quarterback that will be the team’s leader for years to come?

Well, Wilson is well on his way to do so, and don’t be surprised if he has taken over the reigns of the Raiders offense by the time Week 1 rolls around.

Besides, can you imagine how Matt Flynn would feel if yet another rookie quarterback beat him to the starting job after he was supposed to have it?