RD 1, Pick 9: DT Ed Oliver, University of Houston

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

5 minutes ago, Speedy Beebe said:

I think they’ve said before that FA is about fixing the teams problems, acquiring need. They made an attempt at picking up playmakers. Two wrs, two rbs and a te. Now I’m not saying that all these players will be big time playmakers but as of right now the offense is in better position than it was last year.  Can’t fix all the problems/holes in one year.   Also, they still have more picks and could even trade back up into the second.

 

Maybe. But I don't have a whole lot of faith at the moment.

 

 

[Rock-A-Bye Beasley]

1 minute ago, Speedy Beebe said:

I think they’ve said before that FA is about fixing the teams problems, acquiring need. They made an attempt at picking up playmakers. Two wrs, two rbs and a te. Now I’m not saying that all these players will be big time playmakers but as of right now the offense is in better position than it was last year.  Can’t fix all the problems/holes in one year.   Also, they still have more picks and could even trade back up into the second.

 

WR has been a need since they traded Sammy. Our skill position players on offense don’t scare anybody. 

 

Yes it it looks better than last year but that was said after we traded for Benjamin 

[Kirby Jackson]

Just now, Bill from NYC said:

Overall, I am not thrilled by the pick. This is just a gut feeling, NOT an all knowing proclamation!

 

The jacket incident concerns me just a bit (not a lot).

 

I am more concerned with the size issue and the fact that because he played against such poor competition he would seem to be untested. I guess this would indicate a low floor but who really knows.

 

I hope that these initial misgivings are wrong. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m not trying to talk you off the ledge but he was a 5 star recruit. To play devil’s advocate he was an All-American as a freshman and a dominant player. He played at Houston and received tons of attention because the rest of his team wasn’t exactly loaded with talent. They also misused him. They played him a lot over the center which is really stupid. The Bills knew that. They will slide him over and he will penetrate. He’s going to be a nightmare. 

 

The Bills are really, really good in the secondary IMO. They did it last year despite a not-so-good pass rush. With a little more penetration I expect more turnovers and that’s a good thing. This is a home run IMO.

[Coach Tuesday]

3 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

Overall, I am not thrilled by the pick. This is just a gut feeling, NOT an all knowing proclamation!

 

The jacket incident concerns me just a bit (not a lot).

 

I am more concerned with the size issue and the fact that because he played against such poor competition he would seem to be untested. I guess this would indicate a low floor but who really knows.

 

I hope that these initial misgivings are wrong. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

192 tackles (53 for a loss - 25% of his tackles were for a loss!), 13.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 11 pass deflections over three seasons - most of that AS A NOSE TACKLE!

[Bill from NYC]

1 minute ago, Coach Tuesday said:

 

192 tackles (53 for a loss - 25% of his tackles were for a loss!), 13.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 11 pass deflections over three seasons - most of that AS A NOSE TACKLE!

Good stats no doubt!!! I hope it works!!!!!

[WideRightRevenge]

2 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

 

192 tackles (53 for a loss - 25% of his tackles were for a loss!), 13.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 11 pass deflections over three seasons - most of that AS A NOSE TACKLE!

 

Preach Coach ... love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bing Bong]

6 hours ago, formerlyofCtown said:

Jerry Hughes is smiling from ear to ear I bet and Tom Brady has soiled his pants.

The top 3 DTs in the draft (likely all blue chippers) will be lined up against him 6 times this season.

Oh yeah! I thought the Dolphins made a fantastic pick themselves from where they drafted.

 

Too bad they're tanking for the foreseeable future. And Fitzriptrip is a bad QB to tank with TBH. Great for at least 4 5TD games of inexplicable dominance 

[Wayne Cubed]

2 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

 

192 tackles (53 for a loss - 25% of his tackles were for a loss!), 13.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 11 pass deflections over three seasons - most of that AS A NOSE TACKLE!

 

Yea, it has to be a case that most people haven't watched him because he mostly occupied the 0T. Houston asked him to move laterally across the line and he wasn't asked to pass the rush as much but when he did he was a monster. He is a natural 3T and will be a beast, book it.

[SirAndrew]

35 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

 

Because I don't believe BPA is always a good idea.

 

Exactly. Everyone seems to be on the BPA train these days. The Giants went BPA last year with Barkley, and missed out on Allen and Darnold. Now they have Jones as their future franchise QB. 

[TAinLack.]

8 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

This is just a classy statement coming from a young man who I am going to be pulling for - hope he reaches his potential and beyond - TTP

 

 

[gobills1212]

31 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

May be meaningless but I had Quinnen Williams just ahead of Oliver before last night. I watched them both at the draft and for some reason QW looked about 5 years younger than Ed. Like a kid vs a man. Anyone else get that impression? Again may be meaningless and QW is a great player and person, I am not knocking him. It just stood out. 

Ya, that didnt seem to sit well w jets fans:)

[TAinLack.]

8 hours ago, The Senator said:

 

Why the whining?  Couple of months in that new weight room and a few meals at Mulberry’s, he’ll be 310 in no time.

 

Christ, kid’s 22 and still growing.

.

Go with the side dish of Meatballs!!!  They're like bowling balls.

Edited April 26, 2019 by TAinLA

[Chuck Wagon]

12 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I’m not trying to talk you off the ledge but he was a 5 star recruit. To play devil’s advocate he was an All-American as a freshman and a dominant player. He played at Houston and received tons of attention because the rest of his team wasn’t exactly loaded with talent. They also misused him. They played him a lot over the center which is really stupid. The Bills knew that. They will slide him over and he will penetrate. He’s going to be a nightmare. 

 

The Bills are really, really good in the secondary IMO. They did it last year despite a not-so-good pass rush. With a little more penetration I expect more turnovers and that’s a good thing. This is a home run IMO.

 

 

Exactly.

 

It's a double edge sword.  He played at Houston, against "lesser" competition (but let's be real here, the AAC is still full of future NFL players and the talent level of most of the league isn't that different from an Illinois or Rutgers) but was the focus of every single offensive game plan and was still productive.  Meanwhile these guys from Bama, OSU, Clemson are playing with 8-10 other NFL players on their team and half the games (or more) are against wildly out manned squads.

[stevewin]

https://buffalonews.com/2019/04/25/bills-draft-houston-defensive-tackle-ed-oliver-with-first-round-pick/

 

Few good quotes

 

Quote

"So, I was not surprised, not one bit. It was kind of like one of those, 'Well, you know we're going to get you if you're there.' So I was praying I'd get there, honestly, because I like the coaches so much that I was just praying I got there."

 

Wow - when was the last time a first round pick said they were "praying" to go to Buffalo  

 

 

Quote

After his combine performance, Oliver starred at Houston's Pro Day, which was attended by Beane and McDermott. At one point, McDermott was watching a drill so intently at close range that he and Oliver almost collided.

"You could feel him. You could feel his presence and energy," McDermott said Thursday night. "You could feel his workout. The closer you got, the more you felt the power, the quickness. That hunger is a critical piece that we look for."

 

Also - looks like the new performance center was a good investment wrt a positive thing to attract players

 

Quote

Oliver's favorite part of visiting the Bills was seeing their new, $18 million sports performance center.

"Brand new, just opened a couple of days before I got there," he said. "So it was really like a joy to just see it and see all the new technology they got there. I can't wait to get there and use it for just pre-hab, not rehab but pre-hab. I just want to use it."

 

 

Happy to see them get a DT that can be disruptive and cause some havoc - need to get in Brady's face to beat the Cheaters, not just hold the LOS

 

 

Edit : just watched the PC, where McD actually said Oliver "brings his lunchpail" 

Edited April 26, 2019 by stevewin

[Speedy Beebe]

20 minutes ago, Chemical said:

 

WR has been a need since they traded Sammy. Our skill position players on offense don’t scare anybody. 

 

Yes it it looks better than last year but that was said after we traded for Benjamin 

You take what the draft gives you. If not then you end up with a Donte Hitner. I’m not saying that the bills don’t need a wr or te. I was just trying to explain that if a corner is drafted in the second it’s nothing to be concerned about. 

[ChevyVanMiller]

From Walter Football:

 

 Buffalo Bills: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston  A+ Grade  
It took an unreasonable agent, a reach on a quarterback and a mediocre top-eight pick used on a tight end, but the Bills won the draft. Congrats, Buffalo! Oliver could end up being the best player from this entire class. He's drawn Aaron Donald comparisons for a reason, and he'll be a great replacement for Kyle Williams. Buffalo wanted to trade up for Oliver, yet didn't have to at all. This is an easy A+ grade.

 

 

[Rock-A-Bye Beasley]

2 minutes ago, Speedy Beebe said:

You take what the draft gives you. If not then you end up with a Donte Hitner. I’m not saying that the bills don’t need a wr or te. I was just trying to explain that if a corner is drafted in the second it’s nothing to be concerned about. 

 

Fair enough. I’m ok with getting greedy or Murphy just because they’re graded as 1st rounders. But I’m still concerned about the offense 

[Speedy Beebe]

Just now, Chemical said:

 

Fair enough. I’m ok with getting greedy or Murphy just because they’re graded as 1st rounders. But I’m still concerned about the offense 

I’m sure most of us are. But if Tre gets hurt then what? Hope Gaines can play a full season? Then everyone will be saying we should have drafted a cb.

[quincy]

Looks like I have 19 pages to read through, my observations:

 

Picking at 9, Buffalo got amazing value.

 

Looking at the 14 big boards on FanSpeak that have been updated this week, Ed Oliver ranks between number 3 and number 7 on every board.

 

10 out of the 14 boards have him at the best player available to pick at 9.

 

One board had Jeffrey Simmons higher, one had both Jeffrey Simmons and Brian Burns higher, one had Jawaan Taylor and the other Dwayne Haskins.

 

His happy reaction to be picked by Buffalo is priceless. Great to see. All the best to him and the team in 2019. 

[Nervous Guy]

2 hours ago, Joe in Winslow said:

 

It's a legit concern, given how many of them fell out of the first.

Have faith brother, we'll get your offensive dudes today.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

 

 

[HappyDays]

49 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

the fact that because he played against such poor competition he would seem to be untested

 

I remember people saying the same thing about Khalil Mack.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, Fixxxer said:

 

I shall call him, Mr. Ed

 

Or after he gets the C soon his jersey... Captain EO!

[Putin]

11 hours ago, Haze_21 said:

best bills pick in my lifetime

How old are you 6?

[ProbablyWrong]

11 hours ago, Sweats said:

 

 

Beane is a genius cause the pick fell in their lap..........wait?..........what?!?

 

There was a ton of talk trading up. Beane could have pulled the trigger, potentially giving up future 1sts or other high-value picks this year (possibly just to get the same guy), but he didn't. He managed to avoid panicking and didn't overthink the pick or trade back.

 

Yes, it was an obvious pick, but we got great value by not overreacting and losing assets to get him.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

36 minutes ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

From Walter Football:

 

 Buffalo Bills: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston  A+ Grade  
It took an unreasonable agent, a reach on a quarterback and a mediocre top-eight pick used on a tight end, but the Bills won the draft. Congrats, Buffalo! Oliver could end up being the best player from this entire class. He's drawn Aaron Donald comparisons for a reason, and he'll be a great replacement for Kyle Williams. Buffalo wanted to trade up for Oliver, yet didn't have to at all. This is an easy A+ grade.

 

 

 

..nice.....plenty of "A" grades out there and descriptions of the pick as "a steal".....comparisons to Vikes' HOF'er John Randle........

Edited April 26, 2019 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[Bill from NYC]

17 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

I remember people saying the same thing about Khalil Mack.

He sure is saying some positive things! I sure hope he works out for us. We definitely deserve it.

[KellyToTasker]

1 hour ago, eball said:

It's funny to see some of the usual suspects dismiss the Oliver pick as a "no brainer" that "fell into Beane's lap."  Good luck is typically the result of good preparation.

 

Yes, once Oliver was on the board at #9 it was an easy decision, but the reason the Bills were prepared is because of their work leading up to the draft and the various mock draft scenarios they played out internally.  They were prepared for whatever happened and did not panic or trade out of the spot, and wound up getting a top 3 overall talent at #9 who happens to be a freaking perfect fit for this team.

 

If you want to say the Bills got lucky go ahead, but they created their own luck.

Exactly. We got our guy without giving up anything! I've never been so excited for a Raiders and Giants pick.

[CaptnCoke11]

43 minutes ago, Chemical said:

 

Fair enough. I’m ok with getting greedy or Murphy just because they’re graded as 1st rounders. But I’m still concerned about the offense 

Greedy has major tackling issues and Murphy is a zone guy only pretty much.  Beginning of round 2 is probably where they should be going. 

[MDH]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

May be meaningless but I had Quinnen Williams just ahead of Oliver before last night. I watched them both at the draft and for some reason QW looked about 5 years younger than Ed. Like a kid vs a man. Anyone else get that impression? Again may be meaningless and QW is a great player and person, I am not knocking him. It just stood out. 

 

I think Q Williams is the best player in this draft but he sounded...slow, in his interview on NFL Network. I thought I was listening to Bubba from Forrest Gump, he was that bad.

[Coach Tuesday]

1 minute ago, MDH said:

 

I think Q Williams is the best player in this draft but he sounded...slow, in his interview on NFL Network. I thought I was listening to Bubba from Forrest Gump, he was that bad.

 

He’s a bit country for sure.  NYC will be an interesting spot for him.  Oliver will bring some much-needed character to the Bills’ D...

[Lurker]

3 minutes ago, MDH said:

 

I think Q Williams is the best player in this draft but he sounded...slow, in his interview on NFL Network. I thought I was listening to Bubba from Forrest Gump, he was that bad.

 

I noticed this as well.   The way Oliver carried himself (even the way he dressed) seemed a cut above all the other, I hate to say it, kids picked in the top 10.   He seemed like he was already a NFL pro, or that the gap toward becoming one would be smaller for him than the other guys.

 

I just hope that aspect carries over to the field as well.   But he couldn't have landed in a better situation, so I suspect it will...

[HappyDays]

11 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

He sure is saying some positive things! I sure hope he works out for us. We definitely deserve it.

 

This article should convince you:

 

https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2019/2/21/18232987/nfl-draft-2019-ed-oliver-buffalo-bills-scouting-report-breakdown-pass-rusher

 

This one clip is what made me fall in love a couple months ago. Made me think of Kyle Williams. 

 

 

He has an endless motor and an elite first step. He will be a nightmare for QBs.

[YoloinOhio]

I posted this a few weeks ago but worth the re-post for anyone who didn’t watch it. 

 

 

[DrDawkinstein]

Obviously late to this party, but just want to say Im THRILLED how the first round worked out for us, and with the Oliver selection!

 

Time to dig through the current 19 pages to see who is whining about the pick (since there is always someone who wants to complain).

 

Looking forward to a productive 2nd round today!

[JOE IN HAMPTON ROADS]

3 hours ago, quincy said:

Looks like I have 19 pages to read through, my observations:

 

Picking at 9, Buffalo got amazing value.

 

Looking at the 14 big boards on FanSpeak that have been updated this week, Ed Oliver ranks between number 3 and number 7 on every board.

 

10 out of the 14 boards have him at the best player available to pick at 9.

 

One board had Jeffrey Simmons higher, one had both Jeffrey Simmons and Brian Burns higher, one had Jawaan Taylor and the other Dwayne Haskins.

 

His happy reaction to be picked by Buffalo is priceless. Great to see. All the best to him and the team in 2019. 

Ive also seen many articles describing Oliver as the best defensive player in the draft.  That he wanted to come here is amazing.  He is going to epic from day 1.

 

 

Winner: The Bills' defensive line:

Congratulations, Bills, You got to watch Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver, the best defensive player in this class, fall to your ninth overall pick, and you were smart enough to draft him. Now, let me give you a bit of advice. Don't do what Houston's coaches did and play him at nose tackle 65% of the time. Instead, make him a 3-tech tackle who can flex out to end, and watch him use his generational combination of power, speed, and leverage terrorize the other quarterbacks and running backs in the AFC East and beyond. Comparisons have been made to Aaron Donald, but Oliver reminds me more of Hall-of-Fame defensive tackle John Randle in his furious, unstoppable style. (Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)

[Augie]

This is the NEW Bills! The ball bounces OUR way now!!!

[TigerJ]

As always, reactions to the pick of Oliver varies across the sports world.  Many pundits love it.  I guess Andy Benoit (SI: MMQB)  was tepid about the pick, saying the Bills already had Lotulelei, Harrison Phillips and Jordan Phillips at DT, and have a more glaring need at edge rusher.  With all due respect to Benoit, I think he's wrong.  Yes, the Bills need to find a successor to Jerry Hughes at some point and they still aren't getting all they need from Lawson/Murphy on the other end of the D-line, but Lotulelei and Harrison Phillips are one tech guys.  Harrison could probably play 3 tech, but he's not going to be as disruptive as McDermott needs his 3 tech to be.  Jordan Phillips is a huge 3 tech, and has his moments as a disrupter, but he's not as consistent as you'd like.  That means his ceiling may be as a rotational guy.  Oliver is potentially the most disruptive 3 tech Buffalo could possibly have, and he's consistent, going hard every single play.  Incredibly, Houston played Oliver as a sub 280 lb nose tackle.  His job was tying up blockers.  He still made a lot of plays, but I think the Bills are looking to get a lot more productivity out of him by sliding him into 3 tech.

[WideNine]

1 hour ago, Wayne Cubed said:

 

Yea, it has to be a case that most people haven't watched him because he mostly occupied the 0T. Houston asked him to move laterally across the line and he wasn't asked to pass the rush as much but when he did he was a monster. He is a natural 3T and will be a beast, book it.

 

The Bills scheme will have Oliver attacking the gaps with plenty of added twists and stunts to take advantage of his bend, ability to shed blocks, and speed.

 

Our d-line has too many guys on it now who tend to get tangled up with blockers struggling on the wrong side of the LOS. The main reason RBs were hitting our 2nd level LBs and safeties with a full head of steam.

 

We need players that can be disruptive on the other side of the LOS. Oliver and a few other DTs that went early last night fit the bill.

 

 

[Augie]

We pick again soon, and look at the players left! J. Taylor, Risner, Irv Smith, Metcalf, Greedy Williams, etc. Guys some people would have been happy with at 9! Let our guy fall to us again!