Ed Oliver worthy of top-five pick
By Bucky Brooks
NFL.com Analyst
March 29, 2019 at 03:05 p.m.
A look at the new buzz around a top prospect who's seen his stock rise, fall and seemingly rebound ...
It's not a secret that the NFL draft is an inexact science, with teams often overrating or undervaluing prospects based on how they perform during their final college season. Given the powerful image of the last snapshot of a collegiate career, we shouldn't be surprised to see a blue-chip player being undervalued at a time when scouts are salivating over the late bloomers and one-year wonders that tend to rise up draft boards around this point in the process each year.
With that in mind, I thought it was the perfect time to revisit my evaluation of Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver, particularly on the heels of his strong performance at the Cougars' pro day on Thursday. The former five-star recruit was considered a viable contender to become the No. 1 overall pick entering the 2018 season, but an injury-marred junior campaign, a verbal altercation with his head coach and questions about his size sent his draft stock tumbling a bit heading into the NFL Scouting Combine.
Despite alleviating concerns at the combine by measuring a sufficient 6-foot-2, 287 pounds before putting together a solid performance in testing drills (36-inch vertical jump, 10-foot broad jump and 32 reps on the bench press) and a strong showing in bag drills, the buzz didn't appear to surround Oliver's prospects to be a top-five pick until my NFL Network colleague Peter Schrager positioned the Houston standout in the No. 4 hole as the Oakland Raiders' selection in his most recent mock draft earlier this week.
Now, I'm not saying mock drafts are always an accurate barometer of how teams are valuing a player, but I do believe well-connected guys like Schrager don't arbitrarily throw prospects into the top five unless they get a tip that the player has a legitimate chance of landing on that hallowed ground on draft day. However, I'm here to tell you that Oliver not only has a chance of cracking the top five, but, while it seems unlikely, he could be the first defender off the board -- yes, before the likes of Ohio State's Nick Bosa, Alabama's Quinnen Williams and Kentucky's Josh Allen -- if a team drafting early falls in love with him and a quarterback run develops at the top of the draft.
While some will suggest Oliver is a reach as a top-five pick, I believe he is worthy of being selected that early and he should be in the discussion as the top player in the draft based on his entire body of work as a disruptive player at Houston.
Oliver is a nightmare to block as a three-technique with exceptional first-step quickness, athleticism and closing burst. He has arguably the best "get off" I've seen from a prospect since Von Miller entered the league in 2011 and his first-step quickness makes him a disruptive force as a one-gap penetrator at the point of attack. No. 10's snap-count anticipation and initial quickness enable him to shoot through gaps and avoid double-team blocks on the inside. It's hard to find defensive tackles with the explosive combination of skills that the 2018 Outland Trophy winner (top interior lineman in college football) possesses.
As a run defender, Oliver combines extraordinary strength and power with his quickness to win at the line of scrimmage. He is capable of stacking and shedding blockers at the point of attack but is at his best when allowed to shoot through gaps on assigned games and movement maneuvers along the line. When put on the move, Oliver consistently destroys blocking schemes and racks up negative plays, as evidenced by his 54 career tackles for loss.
As a pass rusher, Oliver's anticipation, quickness, and explosiveness create disruption in the middle of the pocket. He blows past interior blockers and forces quarterbacks off their preferred spot in the pocket. Although Oliver fails to consistently snag quarterbacks on his first attempt, he tallies a number of sacks on extra-effort plays outside of the pocket. He plays at a fever pitch and few blockers can match his energy and intensity over the course of a game. To that point, Oliver's non-stop motor pops off the tape when studying him throughout his career. He is relentless in his pursuit of the ball and few defenders fly around like No. 10.
From a critical standpoint, I believe scheme fit is more important to Oliver than other defensive tackles in this draft. He struggled mightily as a zero-technique nose tackle in Houston's defense as a junior. He didn't handle double teams well and the lack of movement along the front limited his effectiveness as a one-gap penetrater.
Additionally, Oliver's high-strung personality led to a highly publicized sideline incident last fall with his head coach during a nationally televised game. Oliver's outburst came after his coach, Major Applewhite, told him to remove a coat reserved for active players -- Oliver was not playing in the game. The next day, Oliver described the incident as "a misunderstanding" and Applewhite downplayed the kerfuffle. Now, some coaches and scouts won't bristle at coaching a strong personality like Oliver, but it is important for his position coach and coordinator to know exactly what they're getting when he enters the meeting room.
In looking for a pro comparison for Oliver, I believe Geno Atkins is a perfect choice. The two-time All-Pro defensive tackle has been a dominant force as an undersized interior pass rusher with explosive quickness and violent hands. Oliver has similar physical traits and his explosive pass rush can upgrade a front line lacking a difference maker on the inside.
While it is important for the defense to feature some games and stunts designed to get the defensive line on the move, Oliver is a blue-chip defender capable of taking over games in a system that allows him the freedom to attack the ball instead of reading and reacting at the snap.
If I'm going to spend a top draft pick on a defender, I want to make sure he's capable of dominating the game and enters the league with a resume that backs up that assertion. When I look at Oliver's total body of work as a collegian, I have no doubt that he's worthy of being one of the first five players off the board when the draft begins on April 25.
