Now that the combine has officially passed, we have entered full-on mock draft season, which will last from now until the NFL draft begins on April 25.
The latest mock comes from NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, who has the Seattle Seahawks selecting Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver with their first round pick at No. 21 overall.
“It’s tough to identify the right landing spot for Oliver, but the Seahawks have had a front-row seat to see how an undersized pass rusher can take over a game when they’ve lined up against Aaron Donald twice a year,” Jeremiah wrote. “Oliver would be a nice player to pair with DT Jarran Reed.”
Oliver is considered one of the most athletic interior defensive linemen in the draft, although his size could be a limiting factor when he is forced to go up against much bigger, stronger NFL offensive lineman.
Still, Seattle has always liked their undersized defensive linemen, including first round pick Bruce Irvin a few years ago and undrafted free agent Poona Ford last season.
Pairing Oliver with Reed, Ford and another veteran would give Seattle a much stronger interior defensive line, although they would still need to address their pass rush on the edge opposite Frank Clark.
