Ed Oliver is Heating Up
Controversy ensued in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft when Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver was not selected by the Detroit Lions, who had the eighth pick in the draft. Instead, Sean McDermott and the Bills, who already had an enticing defense on the rise, were somehow able to snag the intriguing prospect themselves.
Oliver’s first nine games were a struggle, at least from a statistical perspective. With only one sack to show for in those nine games, some Bills fans expressed concern as to whether Oliver 1) just wasn’t ready, 2) was approaching bust territory, or 3) just needed more time to adjust to the NFL level.
The answer, as it turns out, was 3) he just needed more time to adjust to the NFL level. The Bills have now won three straight games to improve to 9-3, their best record since the last season Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly was in the league (1996). Thanks to a strong defense and improving play from sophomore QB Josh Allen, the team has a comfortable lead as the fifth seed in the AFC, and look set to make their second playoff appearance in three seasons.
On this three-game winning streak, Oliver has been playing at a high level, collecting four sacks while establishing himself as a star in the making. This includes two sacks (and a strip-sack) on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium.
Cementing himself as a rising star, Oliver has played with quality and motivation in his rookie season. So what’s changed for him on this three-game stretch? Let’s take a look for ourselves and see why the interior pass rusher needs to be on your IDP radars.
Here we have Oliver’s second career sack in the Bills’ second matchup against the Dolphins. This is more of a clever play call on Buffalo’s part than it is a standout play from the rookie, but at least that’s better than not getting a sack at all!
What starts out as a traditional four-man rush adds a two-man blitz into the mix. The lack of communication is apparent as the right guard is preoccupied with the blitzer going up the A-gap and the right tackle doesn’t pick Oliver up at all. As such, the Dolphins back can only watch as Ryan Fitzpatrick gets devoured in a split second by the rookie.
This is definitely not a standout play, but Oliver’s next three sacks approach that territory.
In the Broncos-Bills matchup in Week 11, Oliver was very close to sacking Brandon Allen in the end zone for a safety, but still managed to come away with a sack anyway.
So what makes this play impressive on Oliver’s part? Well consider he’s using a bull rush on the Broncos left guard, and his violent hands allow him to gain some momentum on said rush. And with one hand, he’s able to swat away any outside leverage the left guard has on this play, freeing him up to take Brandon Allen down on a crucial fourth-quarter play.
But it’s the biggest game of Oliver’s career (as well as the Bills’ biggest game of the season thus far) where he has stood out the most. As aforementioned, the rookie had two sacks against Dak Prescott. This included a strip-sack, which we will get to right now.
After an initial struggle on this play, Oliver is able to get around the Cowboys’ left guard with a rip move. The guard does his best to hold back this gauntlet, but the defensive tackle gives him no mercy, wisely reaching out and making a play on the football rather than Prescott. Fellow pass rusher Trent Murphy ends up picking up the forced fumble on a fantastic play from Oliver.
Next, let’s get to Oliver’s second sack of the game, which also occurred in the first half.
This time, Oliver rushes up the A-gap against Cowboys center Travis Frederick. The veteran center is no match for the rookie, as Oliver’s power rush keeps him off balance. Prescott manages to hold onto the ball this time, but that still doesn’t change the fact that the defensive tackle is able to take him to the grave on this first down.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a young interior pass rusher for your IDP leagues, Ed Oliver appears to be a must-have. These last three games have been extremely favorable for him, as he’s displayed more of the power and aggression he showed off during his college days at Houston, and he very well could be the future face of that Bills pass rush.
Gradually this is a Buffalo team that is garnering more attention from NFL media, and as such, stars like this rookie are getting praise for their efforts. It might be too late for Oliver to win Defensive Rookie of the Year at this point, but it’s never too late to take this potential stud in your dynasty leagues. Act now and don’t regret a thing.
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