Call me crazy, call me stupid but when I look at Ed I see the greatest inside linebacker to ever play the game. His nose for the ball and his speed are unreal. Is he an elite defensive lineman with once in a generation speed or is he an elite linebacker with once in forever size? To me he is Ray Lewis but just bigger and quite possibly faster. Do I want that elite athletic ability caught up in the gunch or do I want him running freely?
By the way, I don’t get paid to do player analysis and no NFL team has called me to scout for them. So my opinion doesn’t mean much.
I see your thought process. It’s a pretty fair analysis, I guess the question comes down to more so on who he plays with in the NFL. I think in some systems he would be better as a defensive lineman and and other systems he could be more of a hybrid . Maybe like Bowser where he can play on the end but also has enough mobility to drop the coverage if need be.
I think that will be the one benefit of the NFL for him. He’ll be surrounded by more talent and he’ll have a defensive coordinator that can utilize his full potential. They will put them in so many different packages in so many different ways so that he can excel. Last year he had no talent around him, or very limited talent around him, so he had to stay as a down lineman and we couldn’t experiment otherwise.
BannedUserForAbuse
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“4. Chicago Bears
Ed Oliver, DT, Houston. Oliver is freakishly athletic and was probably the best run-stopping interior defensive linemen in college football a year ago. I’m fully expecting his sack number to jump near double-digits this season. The Bears could use more beef on the inside.”
Nice scouting take, but it kind of frustrates me when the scouts are critical of his sack numbers, yet don’t mention that he was basically playing hurt all year after the Temple game.
Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver has been named to the Watch List for the 2018 Lott IMPACT Trophy, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation announced. Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member Ronnie Lott, The Lott IMPACT Trophy is awarded annually to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.
Not trying to jinx him, but can we just go ahead and give the award now?
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"Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
Experience: In 24 games over two years for the Cougars, Oliver has amassed a whopping 38.5 tackles for loss to go along with 10.5 sacks and 138 tackles.
Strengths: Possesses the athleticism and speed of an off-ball linebacker but is 6-3 and 280-ish pounds. Incredible suddeness off the snap and into the backfield. Twitchiness is elite. Routinely wins at the point of attack with that rare burst. Good, not overwhelming power and decently active hands. Scrapes down the line with immense effort and effectiveness. Uses a super-quick spin to get backside on stretch runs or cutbacks to his side.
Weaknesses: At this point, he’s better getting into the pads of an offensive linemen then springing off him to make an impact play against the run than he is deploying an intricate pass-rushing move to get to the quarterback. Sometimes, his lack of weight leads to him not playing with tons of power.
Oliver has already declared for the 2019 NFL Draft ahead of the 2018 season, a tremendous vote of self-confidence he’s the best defender in college football. He’s not wrong: The 2017 Outland Trophy winner enters his junior season with a career 39.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, boasting 39 run stops from the 2017 season — more than any other defensive tackle in college football, according to PFF. Simply put, he’s the most dominant individual in the sport right now.
Stylistically, there are big differences between Oliver and Lawrence, as Oliver checks in around the 280 pounds and Lawrence tips the scales at 340. Oliver fires off the ball with outstanding pad level, knifing his way into opposing backfields and often putting offensive linemen on skates as he drives them backward. He moves up and down the line of scrimmage with linebacker-like agility, working his way back into plays with great range. He’s been among the best in the nation at finishing plays in his two years, posting identical run-stop percentages of 12.0 in 2016 and 2017. That ranked seventh and fifth, respectively, in the FBS (a run stop constitutes a tackle resulting in a “loss” for the offense, keeping it off schedule). Oliver is equal part disrupter and playmaker, leading to that 94.7 grade against the run last season.
Biggest takeaway: I think every defensive-line coach in the country should make a cut-up tape highlighting the effort from Oliver. He never quits on a play. Ever. It is a great lesson for every player at the position. He chases plays 30-40 yards down the field, and then he lines up and goes 100 mph on the very next play. It’s a great indicator of the work he puts in during the offseason, as well as the personal drive he possesses. I was told by one of his former teammates that the coaching staff at Houston hands out an effort award after studying the game tape, and Oliver wins that award almost every week.