Good, good ... Texans can get him when they go 8-8. An area scout told Walter Football's Charlie Campbell that he would "bet a paycheck" that Houston junior DT Ed Oliver will not be drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in the spring, saying that there's "no way." "There are too many potential issues. He's a lot smaller than people think," the scout said. Oliver is listed at 6-foot-3, 293 pounds on Houston's team website, but the evaluator has heard that it's closer to 272 pounds and that the staff views anything over 285 as too heavy a playing weight. Another insider told Campbell that Oliver "is not [Aaron] Donald," explaining that the Houston star "has issues with mass and problems with double teams that Donald does not." http://www.walterfootball.com/NFLHotPress Since his first game in college football when Ed Oliver dominated Oklahoma, there has been a lot of projections of the Houston defensive tackle being a high first-round prospect for the 2019 NFL Draft. The media hype has continued over his sophomore and junior seasons due to his quality production in the AAC. While draft experts in the national media have been projecting Oliver to be a high first-round pick, in speaking with NFL team sources who have scouted Oliver in person, they graded Oliver as a late first-round pick, although they could see a team taking him in the middle of the first round during the 2019 NFL Draft. "I would bet a paycheck that [Oliver] does not go No. 1 overall. There is no way," said one area scout who has been through Houston. "There are too many potential issues. He's a lot smaller than people think. When the coaches and GMs see how light and short he is, there is going to be pause. Houston has him weighing at 275 [pounds] and say he has played as heavy as 282. They say that 285-290 [pounds] is too heavy for him to play at." The national media has been quick to compare Oliver to Aaron Donald, the best defensive tackle in the NFL, but sources who have seen Oliver in person say that comparison is off base. "[Oliver] is not the same guy as Donald," said another source. "He is more comparable to a Dominique Easley. [Oliver is] disruptive, twitchy, and can do a lot of positive things, so that is why people are eager to compare him to Donald because they both have surprising speed. But Oliver is not Donald. Donald is extremely strong, and you could see that at the Senior Bowl when he was tossing guys around. Oliver has issues with mass and problems with double teams that Donald does not. [Oliver's] lateral anchor is a problem." Because of the size issue, Oliver could have some problems fitting certain schemes in the NFL. Obviously teams that want heavy nose tackles who play a two-gap scheme would not have a fit for Oliver. His speed, explosiveness off the snap, and quick-twitch athleticism would make him a fit as a three-technique. Weighing in the 270s, however, is very light for that role as well. and it would almost make him more of a designated pass-rusher. Evaluators feel there are scheme issues, but think he could play in a 4-3 or 3-4. "My issues are, one, it is scheme specific that he has to go to the right team and used in a particular way," said an area scout. "If [Oliver] were to go to a 3-4 scheme with two awesome ends like Pittsburgh with [Cameron] Heyward on one side and [Stephon] Tuitt on the other, that could work because it would allow him to get off. Or Houston between Watt and Clowney, but that is a tough situation to find. I graded Oliver as a late [first-rounder], but I think someone will take him in the mid-first [round]." In the past few years, WalterFootball.com has routinely reported that the media was way too high in their projections and hype on players like Teddy Bridgewater, Mackensie Alexander, Robert Nkemdiche, Anthony Averett, A.J. Cann and Connor Williams. Oliver looks like a safe first-round pick, but he could end up going much lower than the hype machine currently suggests.
36. Chicago Bears: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson No team we've spoken to has Deshaun Watson as a first-round prospect. One high-ranking personnel man in the NFC told me he has Watson as a third-round prospect. It's so much like the Teddy Bridgewater draft, when the media had Bridgewater in the first round, and yet NFL franchises considered him to be a second-day prospect, even before his woeful pro day. However, this was prior to the national championship, so I have to believe some team will trade up into the back end of the opening frame to take Watson, much like the Vikings did with Bridgewater. This is what I think will happen here. The Bears could move into the back end of the opening round to select Watson. He'll almost certainly be there, and I expect Chicago to do it because general manager Ryan Pace has taken a strong liking to him. http://walterfootball.com/draft2017_2.php
Ed Oliver was under estimated in HS by scouts.... If they want to under estimate him going to the NFL, feel free... hopefully the Texans get him (and stop wasting star player careers). He will be a 10 year pro and All Pro.
Nah Oliver was as elite of a prospect as they come and had every blue blood vying for him. He ended up flying under the radar somewhat when he committed early and never wavered. Interestingly enough, 3 of the lineman ranked ahead of him are all projected 1st round picks, impressive class.
I am a huge UH fan, but Oliver seems undersized for an NFL lineman. He has significant skills and a non-stop motor, but his conditioning is a question. He seems gassed after the first few series.
He was a 5 star prospect by ESPN. Top 10. Oliver is a top 5 draft pick. People nitpicking because they can. He will add weight in the NFL. He will be fine.
He was a 5 star recruit. Like every broadcast a couple years ago they were saying saying how he was hermans first 5 star recruit.