The Oakland Raiders hold the key to the NFL Draft. With the No.4 pick, the Raiders could go in several different directions with the pick. However, one scenario that we haven’t discussed enough is the possibility that the Raiders select defensive tackle Ed Oliver from Houston.
Early on in the draft process, Oliver was a name that was routinely discussed inside the top-five picks. However, his hype train has slowed down some over the last few months.
But in Peter Schrager’s latest mock draft at NFL.com, he has the Raiders selecting Oliver over the likes of Quinnen Williams, Devin White, and Dwayne Haskins. Take a look at his explanation of the selection:
Leave it to the Raiders to make a bit of a splash — like this one. While everyone’s talking up Quinnen Williams as the top defensive tackle in this draft class, I know of more than one team that points to Oliver as the guy atop the board at the position. With the success of Aaron Donald at his size (6-foot-1, 280 pounds, 31.5 sacks in 2017-18), don’t be shocked if Oliver (6-2, 287) — who I expect will run a 4.7-second 40-yard dash at Houston’s pro day on Thursday — goes before the more buzzed-about Williams.
While most believe Williams is the better player, it’s not hard to get behind the idea of selecting Oliver. He is an exceptional athlete with excellent college production (53 tackles for a loss and 13.5 sacks in 32 games.)
If Oakland is looking to get faster and more athletic on defense, selecting Oliver isn’t a bad idea. Oliver is one of the best six or seven players in this class and worthy of a look inside the top-five.
