If the New York Jets draft Ed Oliver, we already have a window into how the team plans to use him. During his pre-draft visit with New York, the University of Houston defensive tackle watched film of Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
“I loved it,” Oliver said of his visit with the Jets, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “[I’m] just a physical player. A physical, dominant player. I like to wreak havoc and that is basically what they do, so I’d fit right in.”
Oliver has been compared to Donald since the former standout freshman year at Houston due to his quickness, motor, and ability to make plays from the interior of the defensive line. The two are also undersized for traditional defensive tackles, a trait that makes them more difficult for podding guards and centers to handle.
The Jets have long been linked to Oliver, Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, and Kentucky outside linebacker Josh Allen with the No. 3 pick in the draft, though most draft analysts have Williams and Allen ahead of Oliver on their boards.
Oliver is one of the most decorated players in the 2019 draft class. As the first five-star recruit in the modern era to commit to a school outside the Power Five conferences, he was an impact player from the moment he stepped foot on the Houston campus.
The Houston native was named a First-Team All-American in each of his three seasons playing for the Cougars, and won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top interior lineman as a sophomore. Though his numbers were down a bit as a junior, when he played just eight games in part due to a knee injury, Oliver still finished the 2018 season with 54 tackles, 14 and-a-half tackles for loss, and three sacks.
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