The Buffalo Bills are tasked with finding a replacement for Kyle Williams—who retired this offseason. Buffalo drafted Ed Oliver with the ninth overall pick and there are high expectations for the rookie defensive lineman.
Despite the outside noise, Oliver feels “no pressure” heading into his rookie season this year. Oliver will immediately start on the defensive line but will need to get adjusted to the speed of the NFL first.
“There’s no pressure as long as I get better at something,” Oliver said, via the Buffalo News. “I’m a young guy. I don’t know left from right, as far as the NFL is concerned, so as long as I get better and take it day by day, step by step, I’ll be all right.”
In college, Oliver was a wrecking ball to opposing offensive lines at Houston. During his three seasons at Houston, Oliver tallied 192 total tackles, 53 tackles for loss, and 13.5 sacks.
His ability to create pressure and make plays in the backfield is uncanny for a defensive tackle. After all, Oliver's 53 tackles for loss is an American Athletic Conference all-time record.
The Bills are in need of some help in the pass-rushing department after ranking 26th in the NFL with just 36 sacks in 2018. That's one of the reasons why Buffalo was comfortable taking Oliver with their first-round selection.
Throughout the draft process, Oliver was being compared to Aaron Donald as an interior defensive lineman. Being compared to Donald sets the bar high for Oliver but the rookie defensive tackle isn't feeling any pressure.
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