Green Bay Packers: Dream first three picks in 2019 NFL Draft
Round 1, Pick 12: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
We all knew this one was coming. Ed Oliver’s stock has been rightfully rising in recent weeks, but the possibility that he falls to No. 12 is still realistic. Teams are down on his size, as he measured in at just 6-2 and 287 pounds at the combine.
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Aaron Donald fell to No. 14 in his draft class because teams thought he was too small to play defensive tackle at the next level. Clearly, they were wrong, and his elite athleticism has more than made up for it. Oliver’s measurements give him a similar path.
His production went down over the course of his three years in college because of injuries in his final years, but teams were sending triple teams his way on every play to slow him down. He totaled 53 tackles for loss over those three years. His first step combined with his power just make him a load for an interior offensive lineman to deal with.
He would slot in perfectly next to Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels, and he gives that transition plan if they don’t re-sign Daniels next offseason. Oliver is built in the mold of the modern interior defensive lineman. He’s quick and powerful, and he’s able to generate pressure inside in the face of opposing quarterbacks.
If the Packers are trotting out Oliver and Clark for the next seven years, it’s going to cause problems for a lot of teams.