Christian Wilkins wrecks Raiders’ offense on first day of mandatory minicamp

Asked which of his new teammates had stood out the most at the conclusion of three weeks of organized team activities last week, Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew answered immediately.

“I’d say Christian Wilkins,” Minshew responded. “That dude is running so fast every single play. Wherever the ball is, you’ll see him soon.”

Everyone saw a lot of the 28-year-old former Miami Dolphin Tuesday morning at the Raiders’ Henderson headquarters when the team opened its three-day mandatory minicamp. Wilkins looked the part of the hefty four-year, $110 million contract the Raiders gave him at the start of free agency.

He was the best player on the field for the majority of practice.

At the start of one full-team session, Wilkins soared through the middle of the offensive line on the first play for a would-be stuff of running back Zamir White if contact was permitted. On the second play, Aidan O’Connell dropped back but Wilkins was in his face so fast that the quarterback had to throw the ball in the ground for what would have been an intentional grounding penalty.

“He’s a freak of nature,” cornerback Nate Hobbs said of Wilkins. “He’s 300-something pounds and the first one to the ball. I’ve never seen somebody that size move like that, that flexible, that bendy. He’s a pro for real He knows his job. He knows what he’s supposed to do off the field. He talks.”

In fact, Wilkins talks so much after he makes plays in practice that it must wear on the offense. There were no skirmishes at minicamp, but if Wilkins continues to be as disruptive for the defense when the Raiders begin training camp next month in Costa Mesa, Calif., they’re likely coming.

The Raiders’ defensive line has certainly caused some friction in past summers, though it’s almost always originated from edge rusher Maxx Crosby’s unyielding effort level and constant playmaking.

Now he’s got a partner in crime.

When an offensive play gets dismantled before it even begins and the defense starts chirping, it requires a keen eye to check if it was No. 94 (Wilkins) or No 98 (Crosby).

“I haven’t had that since Yannick (Ngakoue in 2021),” Crosby said. “I feel like Yannick was constantly trying to compete with me and go at it and Christian kind of reminds me of him in a way. He’s a worker. I love having guys that are like-minded around, so it’s been a hell of a start so far. We have a lot of work to do but we’re just feeding off each other’s energy.”

The 26-year-old Crosby believes he still has another level to reach despite coming off a season where he finished with a career-high 14.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss to finish fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Teammates have seen Wilkins pushing him to get there.

“He gives Maxx a chance to realize he’s elite but there are still levels,” Hobbs said. “He still has to work, which he is going to do. He’s going to answer the door, he’s going to answer the challenge every time, but he has someone there to challenge him — Christian.”

The Raiders’ defensive line looks like the strength of their team and could be one of the best units in the NFL. Crosby and Wilkins are a great starting point, but it’s going to take more than the duo for Las Vegas to hit its potential.

Crosby continued to praise the two primary veterans/second-year Raiders manning the defensive tackle spot next to Wilkins, John Jenkins and Adam Butler. Last year’s first-round pick, Tyree Wilson, has also rotated inside occasionally and has drawn rave reviews for his work ethic.

Edge rusher Malcolm Koonce also appears to have picked up where he left off with six sacks in last year’s final four games as he was as disruptive as Crosby and Wilkins at some of the OTA sessions.

On Tuesday, a swarm of pass rushers forced O’Connell into the day’s only turnover — an interception by second-year cornerback Jakorian Bennett.

The challenge of learning a new system combined with the intensity of the Raiders’ defensive line has led to “growing pains,” in the words of receiver Jakobi Meyers, for the offense.

There’s still plenty of time to work through them, but it’s not going to get any easier with Wilkins causing havoc.

“When you have guys like that, if you’re a competitor, you want to be the one in the backfield making plays,” Crosby said. “I love it. We’ve got a bunch of guys like that up front now.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or