2019 NFL Draft: Top 5 Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – APRIL 25: Ed Oliver of Houston reacts after being chosen #9 overall by the Buffalo Bills during the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft on April 25, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

3. Ed Oliver, DT, Buffalo Bills

Last season, the Buffalo Bills finished first in the NFL in passing defense and second overall in overall yards surrendered. However, they still were 18th in points surrendered and that had to do with two things — their inability to stop the run and a lack of a pass rusher. With the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, they think they have solved both problems.

Buffalo was 26th in the NFL in sacks last season which is why head coach Sean McDermott is so stoked about the player they landed out of Houston. The defensive-minded coach loves what he has seen from Oliver and said he will be a critical piece for them going forward.

"“The closer you got, the more you felt the quickness, the more you felt the power, the more you felt the juice; and really more than anything the competitive nature of this young man,” McDermott said via Matt Parrino of New York Upstate. “He wants it and that hunger is a critical piece that we look for.”"

Oliver has been compared favorably to Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams, who won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2014 and has become the best sack artist from an interior position.

Those are some lofty expectations to place on a young man, but then again, there was a point when Oliver seemed like the hands-down No. 1 overall pick. That obviously didn’t end up happening, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him earning an award for his play as a rookie.

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