2019 NFL Mock Draft: Josh Allen rises in full 2-round mock
By Randy Gurzi
13. Miami Dolphins: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
There’s a trend with these teams picking early as so many of them just fired coaches — much like the Miami Dolphins did as they sent Adam Gase away amid reports that the players were all but done with him. Gase tried to wage a character war on the locker room and in doing so, he sent away a lot of really good players.
That’s an understandable thing to do, but you have to get results. Gase went 10-6 as a rookie coach and then won 13 games while losing 19 after deciding he needed to fix the culture. There can be an argument that he didn’t get enough time, but if he lost the players, the Dolphins really had no choice.
Now, they try and rebuild their talent and they land a big fish in that endeavor as Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver slides all the way to No. 13. Previously, Oliver was considered the top defensive tackle in a draft class that was loaded at the position. However, he ended up being leapfrogged by Quinnen Williams, who just proved to be a stud in 2018.
That doesn’t mean Miami gets some consolation prize here as Oliver is still worthy of a much higher pick than this. He’s a force against the run, but more importantly, can collapse the pocket as an interior pass rusher. Players that can do that are incredibly valuable.