2019 NFL Mock Draft: Kinnan’s final first-round projection

The Ed Oliver slide stops with the ninth overall pick in the draft, as the Buffalo Bills land an elite pass rusher. While he is given a top-10 grade on this writer’s finalized big board, Oliver has had to face unwarranted scrutiny over the past four months.

For the sake of all parties involved, Oliver just needs to step on the field and shut up his critics.

Prior to the 2018 season, Oliver was looked at as a top five lock and did nothing worth noting to hurt his draft stock — yes, even the spat with head coach Major Applewhite doesn’t qualify. However, concerns about his size arose, but Oliver squashed those concerns. Weighing in at 281 pounds at the combine, Oliver showed major lift off hitting 36 inches on his vertical jump and 10 feet on his broad jump, while pressing 225 pounds a whopping 32 times.

At his pro day, Oliver’s good fortunes continued as he ran a blazing 4.73-second 40-yard dash and a 7.15-second 3-cone drill. Testing in the same range of Aaron Donald and Geno Atkins, Oliver is a slam dunk of a pick. Here, the Bills are lucky enough to have an elite football player slide to them with the ninth overall pick in the draft.