College Football
Every year, the NFL puts out a list of the top 150 college players to watch before they’re draft-eligible. As we head into the 2018 football season, let’s take a look at some of this year’s players, starting with Ed Oliver, the number 1 ranked defensive tackle. It’ll be interesting to keep an eye on them as the season progresses.
Ed Oliver is a defensive tackle out of Houston. The 6’2”, 290-pound junior bucked tradition in March when he announced his intention to enter the 2019 draft. Most players don’t do that a full year before they intend to enter the draft, but Ed Oliver is not most players.
Years at Houston
Oliver burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2016. In his debut game, he had 7 tackles including 2 sacks against Oklahoma. Since then, he has amassed 39.5 tackles for loss in 25 career games.
In his two years at Houston, Oliver has proven himself to be an elite defensive tackle. The fact that he is in the discussion around elite defenders despite his size and position (nose tackle) is a testament to his impressive skills. Oliver has an explosive athleticism that includes first-step quickness, impressive strength and speed and instinctive lateral movement skills. He is often able to find gaps in the offense to get to his man, slipping through the cracks on angled rushes and slants.
Things to Watch Out For
This year, Oliver will have to show pro teams that he can be a consistent sack producer. His impressive tackles for loss numbers do not completely override the fact that he has only 10.5 career sacks to his name. If he wants to be given maximum consideration in next year’s draft, he will need to do more. Sacks typically get harder, not easier, when you move to the pros, so Oliver will need to show he has the elite skills teams are looking for.
All that being said, Oliver heads into his junior year as the top-ranked prospect in college football, so he’s already doing amazing things. He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing, and he’ll definitely go high in the draft.
Written by Susannah Schmidt
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