Ask Farrell: Who's the better pick - Ed Oliver or Quinnen Williams?
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The debate over Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver will finally be settled this week, probably sometime early in the first round of the NFL Draft. But exactly where remains the question.
Drawing comparisons to Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald, fairly or unfairly, Oliver could be one of the first players drafted. In the latest mock draft from Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network, he has Oliver going third to the New York Jets after Arizona takes Kyler Murray and San Francisco goes with Nick Bosa.
That means Oliver, who finished with 192 tackles and 13.5 sacks in three seasons at Houston, would be picked ahead of Alabama’s Quinnen Williams and many other elite defensive linemen in this draft.
“Listen, he’s not Aaron Donald,” ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said on a recent conference call. “I know the comparison has been made a lot. There are similarities there in terms of size, speed, the explosiveness. Donald was always a natural finisher as a pass rusher because he knew how to advance his rush while he was engaged with the offensive lineman. That’s what Ed’s got to work on, but if he’s developed properly he has a chance to be one of the two or three best players in this draft class. Anywhere past pick three or four I don’t think it’s a reach at all for Ed Oliver.”
The former five-star prospect from Houston (Texas) Westfield had a sideline controversy this season with then-Houston coach Major Applewhite that has raised some question marks through the pre-draft process.
With Oliver sidelined nursing a knee injury, he wore a jacket during a colder game against Tulane later in the season. Applewhite told him the jacket was reserved for only players in the game, which Oliver took exception to. Oliver and Applewhite had a heated argument on the way to the locker room.
It could be absolutely nothing. Or it could be a red flag. That’s for NFL executives to determine. Jeremiah seems the most bullish on Oliver heading into draft night, while other NFL.com mock drafts place the Houston defensive lineman anywhere from a top 5 pick all the way down to 18. No one has him outside the first round.
“I would throw out the sideline issue,” McShay said. “It’s a non-issue. There was a lot going on there. There was frustration from the coaching staff. He clearly was playing it safe. He’s got potentially $20 million that’s sitting there. He was the face of that program. He did everything right for 2½ years and he was just being cautious about an injury so he didn’t jeopardize his future and his family’s future, and I will never blame a player for that.”
FARRELL'S TAKE
We ask Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell if Oliver’s sideline tirade with Applewhite should be an issue, whether he sees Oliver as the next Aaron Donald and whether the former five-star should be picked ahead of Williams - definitely an important pick among two elite defensive tackles - early in the first round.
“I don’t worry about the sideline issue at all. I think that’s a blip and a worthless blip. Is he the next Aaron Donald? That’s a bit of a reach, but I can see the physical comparisons. But I’d take Quinnen Williams ahead of him, because I think he’s more active and longer. I have both guys going in the first round, but Williams is a top 5 pick and I don’t think Oliver is. But both players should be excellent pros. Oliver’s get-off is impressive and he’s going to cause a lot of problems for offensive linemen in the NFL.”