Before last season, there were so many reports that University of Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver could be the first overall pick in the draft. At this point of the evaluation process, Oliver isn’t being considered to be the first player selected. Teams worry about his size, the way he was banged up and issues like his sideline blowup with former Cougars’ coach Major Applewhite. That’s why his 15-minute interviews with teams are so important. He must fall on the sword and take the blame. Prospects should never blame someone else even if it was someone else’s fault. No one questions Oliver’s talent. He’s quick as a hummingbird and reminds a lot of NFL people of Aaron Donald, the Rams’ tackle who was voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year in each of the last two seasons. The Cougars listed Oliver at 6-3, 292. Scouts are worried that he’s closer to 6-1 and 280. His size shouldn’t matter because he’s an exceptional talent with the quickness, strength and on-field demeanor teams look for when scouting inside players.
When Johnson meets with teams at the combine, he’ll admit that just two years as a college defensive back have left his technique in pass coverage and his ability to stop the run a little raw. But he’ll also sell franchises on an attitude he has proven to have again and again, including when he was part of a winless football team during his senior year of high school in Bryan, Texas, and when his struggles with drops as a college receiver sapped his confidence: “I don’t see things being a negative, and if (at first they are), you just chalk it up and keep going. I don’t think L’s should be L’s all the time.”
What are the positive attributes that you bring to a professional football team?
I understand what it takes to be a professional thanks to my parents. I aspire to be a great team leader and use my relentless work ethic to be productive and motivate others. I put the team first and I’m willing to do all in my power to help the team win. I am a high-character guy who has a strong and healthy relationship with my family and my faith—the team would never have to worry about my conduct off the field.
Brandon Beane has stressed that the Bills will take the best player available in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Based on how the general manager has addressed multiple needs early in free agency, it’s easy to envision the Bills targeting Oliver with the No. 9 pick. The Bills lost Kyle Williams to retirement at the end of the 2018 season and the only move the team has made to address the position is re-signing Jordan Phillips to a one-year deal.
My response to this would be that the defensive system was based on read-and-react and did not have our players in aggressive mentalities.
Egbule is not Anthony Barr. Maybe it’s because Barr played a much more physical position, running back, before his transition to defense, but Egbule looks to be scared to play with power. Certainly he has the strength and muscle to be physical, but he doesn’t seem to know truly how to. In addition, he often looks lost when the play isn’t coming to him. He does not have the instincts to be a difference maker. Yet.
Watkins used a graduate transfer to play his final year for the Houston Cougars. In South Bend on Wednesday, Watkins had a performance similar to Nick Coleman. Watkins ran a 4.52 40 yard dash and put up 15 reps on the bench. He too has some versatility as he has played some nickel in the past.
In the NFL, Oliver will not be put in the same physically demanding positions he was at Houston. At Houston, he was often playing zero-tech – a role designed for larger, squattier defensive lineman. It is safe to assume Oliver will primarily be a 3-technique in the NFL, just like the aforementioned Donald, Atkins, and McCoy. The 3-tech position is more conducive to leaner, more explosive players such as Oliver.
Because the NFL loves to make the same mistakes over and over again, Oliver will probably fall in the draft for being “too small for the position.” For almost every team that passes on him, doing so will be a massive mistake. Oliver’s first step and NFL-ready savvy will make him a Sheldon Richardson-type impact right away, with the potential to develop into an All-Pro. Though Oliver will certainly get pushed down in this draft class, his level of talent is worth the first overall pick.
