University of Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver won the Outland Trophy as the best lineman in college football last season, and he was only a sophomore. If Oliver were eligible for this year’s NFL draft, he would be a first-round pick.
So it’s no surprise that Oliver will enter the 2019 NFL draft — even if it is a little surprising that he’s already making that declaration publicly.
“I do plan on leaving,” Oliver told the Houston Chronicle. “I wish I could stay another year, but it’s my time to go.”
Oliver was a highly ranked recruit, regarded by some recruiting analysts as the best high school player ever to choose a college outside the Power 5 major conferences. He said he always had plans to go to the NFL and saw Houston as a place where he would develop.
“This was a dream of mine coming in,” Oliver said. “I knew I was going on a business trip, and whether my business trip was three years or four years it just depend on how early I got on the field and how effective I was.”
Oliver said he’s hoping he can show in his final season that he’s the best player in college football.
“I want to compete for the Heisman,” Oliver said. “There’s a lot on my plate I want to achieve.”
Oliver should achieve a lot in the NFL, and he’ll do it as soon as the NFL lets him.
