Ed Oliver’s 2019 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds Fading

• Ed Oliver was once favored to go first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft
• The Buffalo Bills selected the Houston DT 9th overall
• Bookmaker has nearly doubled Oliver’s NFL DROY odds

Ed Oliver’s football world turned into a real-time version of that old lady from the LifeCall commercial. Help, he’s falling. And he can’t get up.

In fact, he just keeps on falling. As Oliver’s stock plummets, some seem willing to offer odds against him ever getting up.

Oliver’s average NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds are now +1200, with Bookmaker listing him as high as +1500.

2019 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds

*Odds taken on 05/08/19. Follow the link in the table above for a complete list of all players.

Immediately following the NFL Draft, Bookmaker listed Oliver’s NFL DROY odds at +800. Then they jumped to +1200. Now, his chances are listed at nearly double the opening line.

Oliver’s Twisting Fate

The consensus choice to be the top pick of the 2019 NFL Draft at the outset of the 2018 NCAA football season, Oliver seemed to encounter one difficulty after another.

A knee injury shelved him for four games. He was caught on camera during one of the games he sat out arguing with Cougars’ coach Major Applewhite over the wearing of a team jacket on the sideline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR-3kTX2oyw

There are legitimate reasons to cause worry where Oliver is concerned. He’s an athletic freak who so far has gotten by on his athleticism and lags behind other graduating defensive linemen in terms of polish and technique.

At 6-foot-2 and 287 pounds, he’s far from a behemoth by NFL interior linemen standards. Then again, Aaron Donald of the Rams is just 6-1 and 280, and he’s pretty good, right? The NFLer Oliver is most often compared to is Bengals’ DT Geno Atkins.

Playing at Houston, Oliver didn’t face the level of competition that Nick Bosa met at Ohio State or Quinnen Williams dealt with at Alabama. Dominating AAFC offensive linemen is a much easier task than getting one over on a seasoned NFL O-line.

Did Bills Get a Steal?

Some football experts considered it a felony that Oliver was still on the board when the Buffalo Bills were selecting at no. 9. Those in Oliver’s corner insist that his first-step quickness will enable him to overcome what he lacks in size and length.

"He's got leverage and he's got great quickness. That's how he wins."@BaldyNFL breaks down @buffalobills DL @Edoliver_11👇

📺: Path to the Draft pic.twitter.com/QpbX5ZmHkr

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 4, 2019

Others believe that Oliver is miscast as a nose tackle and would be more effective in the NFL utilizing his explosiveness and power to rush the passer by lining up in a gap.

The Immediate Future

The sense among football people is that the Bills got themselves a good one but that in Oliver’s case, patience will be a virtue. He’s got much to learn to catch up his skillset to his impressive physical tools.

Ed Oliver owns the third-highest single-season grade ever earned by an interior defender in the PFF College era pic.twitter.com/fi2b1ZDCgM

— PFF (@PFF) May 7, 2019

Since 1995, just two interior linemen were NFL DROY. Playmakers get the attention.

Bosa is still the best bet to win.