Eagles NFL draft options at No. 25: DT Ed Oliver

Share

There’s no question that Ed Oliver has first-round talent, but there is a question about where in the first round he’ll go. 

Let’s be honest, though. If the Eagles want Oliver, it’s going to take a modest to significant trade up. But he might just be worth it. 

At 6-2, 287 pounds, Oliver doesn’t have prototypical size for an NFL defensive tackle, but he can flat out play. The comparisons to Aaron Donald aren’t perfect, but they’re unavoidable. And they make sense. 

Oliver might need to put on some more weight to last in the NFL, but you just can’t overlook his athleticism and ability to get after the passer from an interior defensive line spot. Interior line pressure has become more vital in the NFL in recent years and Oliver projects to be a great pass-rusher. 

There was that silly jacket incident at Houston and teams probably wanted to sit down and talk with Oliver to get to know him as a person. The tape speaks to what kind of player he is. He had good production at Houston and eye-popping ability. 

For a while, it looked like Oliver was set to take a tumble in the first round, but now that’s harder to imagine. If Oliver starts to make it past 10 and into the mid teens, the Eagles need to make a call to see how much it would take. 

Current roster at DT: The Eagles have Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson as starters. Their top backups are Treyvon Hester and Bruce Hector. 

How he would fit: Oliver would come in and play a lot as a rookie as a rotational piece to complement Cox and Jackson, but would become a starter before long with a huge upside and Pro Bowl potential. 

Eagles history at DT in draft: The last time the Eagles used a first-round pick on a defensive tackle was in 2012, when they took Cox at No. 12. That has worked out. The Eagles have drafted six DTs in the first round: Cox, Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, Corey Simon, Leonard Renfro, Jerome Brown. 

Since the 2012 draft, the Eagles have taken three interior defensive linemen: Bennie Logan in the third round back in 2013, Beau Allen in the seventh round in 2014 and Elijah Qualls in the sixth round in 2017. 

Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.

Other options at 25 

Contact Us