Ed Oliver Drafted Ninth Overall by Buffalo Bills

The first three-time All-American in Houston history, Oliver is UH’s 14th First-Round selection and its first since cornerback William Jackson III was drafted 24th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2016 NFL Draft.
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Oliver became the sixth Cougar to be drafted by the Bills and the first since running back Antowain Smith (First Round, No. 23 overall) and offensive lineman Marcus Spriggs (Sixth Round) in the 1997 Draft.
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He also became the highest Cougar taken in the NFL Draft since quarterback David Klingler was taken with the No. 6 pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1992.
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This marked the fourth straight season a Cougar was chosen in the NFL Draft.

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My only fear for Oliver right now is can the Bills manage expectations, their need to replace the retiring Kyle Williams and improving their 26th-ranked pass rush being as great as it is?

Not only is Oliver being tabbed to instantly step in for Williams, a beloved player who went to six Pro Bowls over 13 seasons, Oliver is drawing comparisons to John Randle and Aaron Donald.

Heck, why not Warren Sapp, Bob Lilly, Art Donovan and Curley Culp, too?

Asked repeatedly about these comparisons, Oliver straddled the fence between exerting confidence and at the same time saying “Whoa, Nelly.’’

https://twitter.com/SalSports/status/1121604394909347846

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https://twitter.com/wholeteamDot/status/1121587056017276928

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https://twitter.com/TyronCarrier/status/1121586275100823552

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https://twitter.com/UHCougarFB/status/1121813690880151552

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https://twitter.com/American_FB/status/1121808914343817218

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https://twitter.com/buffalobills/status/1121912005420560385

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I DARE YOU - ANY OF YOU - to watch that film of the interview with Ed’s brother and his father; and then try to tell us with a straight face that you were NOT emotional!

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It’s a big deal to make it to the NFL but you can tell teams really do treat their first round pick differently. Soak it up Big Ed.

Awesome, thank you for posting Patrick.
I genuinely thought he would go higher. Could you say P5 bias?

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Eh, I mean you could say P5 bias but there’s not a ton to back you up on it. The only spots where you could really point to I think would be the Jets taking Williams instead of Oliver. Two teams took QB’s who are almost always over drafted. 3 edge guys 1 who was definitely reached for, a LB, and TE.

So only one guy in the same position group went higher than Ed. That doesn’t really reek of bias, if Wilkinson and especially Gary had leapfrogged Ed, I’d be right there with you. But where it stands, I just don’t see it.

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I think two big things held Ed back a bit: his knee injury and being severely misused at UH for the last 2 years. But for him to come out of a non-P5 school with those 2 things fighting against him and still go in the Top 10, that’s a big deal. Way to go, Ed!

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I think he went about where expected. NFL picks that high are all about measurables and Ed doesn’t fit the prototypical DT. Buffalo was willing to take a chance and hopefully they’ll know how to get the most out of him.

Remember that JJ Watt went 11th in 2011. Not saying that Ed is Watt, but JJ was another guy that was hard to pin down what he was and he went to Wisconsin. Wade Phillips loved him and put him in the best position to succeed and he’s been one of the best defenders since he came in. Remember, the NFL tends to be a cookie cutter league and it’s the true visionaries that tend to step outside of the box.

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Wherever the NFL Takes Him, Ed Oliver Will Always “Be Someone” in Houston

Maybe Tytus Howard will be the foundation of a sturdy new Texans offensive line. Maybe new coach Dana Holgorsen will take the Cougars back to where they were under Herman. But one thing is certain—the city of Houston has said goodbye for the foreseeable future to a homegrown hero who stayed here as long as he could and said goodbye with grace and panache.

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First 24 hours were nice, and when he put that Bills helmet on he will look good in a Bills uni, any word on his contract?

Contracts for 1st round picks don’t really start coming in yet. Sportrac does do projections:

$20 million will buy a lot of horses. He wouldn’t want to live in Buffalo, interesting to
see if he buys a house here.

https://twitter.com/aaronwilson_nfl/status/1126597049854697475?s=21

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