Ed Oliver (American football)

Edward Oliver (born December 12, 1997) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars, and was selected by the Bills in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Ed Oliver
refer to caption
Oliver with the Bills in 2021
No. 91 – Buffalo Bills
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1997-12-12) December 12, 1997 (age 26)
Marksville, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:287 lb (130 kg)
Career information
High school:Westfield (Houston, Texas)
College:Houston (2016–2018)
NFL draft:2019 / round: 1 / pick: 9
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 10, 2024
Total tackles:215
Sacks:25.0
Forced fumbles:6
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:14
Interceptions:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Oliver attended Westfield High School in Houston. Oliver had 83 tackles, nine sacks and an interception as a senior and 84 tackles and seven sacks as a junior. In Oliver's senior season, Westfield went 11–1 into the 2015 UIL playoffs, where they lost 28–21 in the Area final to later state runner-up Austin Lake Travis.[1][2]

Oliver was rated as a consensus five-star recruit and was ranked among the top players in his class.[3][4] Receiving offers from a multitude of powerhouse schools, including Alabama, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M, Oliver chose to play college football at the University of Houston, becoming the first recruit rated by ESPN as a five-star to commit to a school outside the Power Five conferences.[5]

College career

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Oliver with Houston in 2016

Oliver became an immediate starter his true freshman year at Houston in 2016.[6][7][8] He started all 12 games during the regular season, recording 60 tackles and five sacks. He was named the winner of the Bill Willis Trophy, becoming the first freshman to win the award.[9]

In 2017, Oliver's sophomore season, he was selected to the Walter Camp All-America first team and won the Outland Trophy, presented to the nation's top interior lineman.[10]

Following his junior year in 2018, Oliver decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2019 NFL draft.

College statistics

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Houston Cougars
Year Team Position GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Solo Ast Total Loss Sack Int Yards Avg TD PD FR Yards TD FF
2016 Houston DT 12 46 19 65 22.0 5.0 0 0 0.0 0 6 0 0 0 2
2017 Houston DT 12 47 26 73 16.5 5.5 0 0 0.0 0 3 1 0 0 2
2018 Houston DT 8 29 25 54 14.5 3.0 0 0 0.0 0 2 0 0 0 1

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 1+78 in
(1.88 m)
287 lb
(130 kg)
31+34 in
(0.81 m)
9+14 in
(0.23 m)
4.73 s 1.63 s 2.78 s 4.22 s 7.15 s 36.0 in
(0.91 m)
10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)
32 reps 20
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[11][12]
 
Oliver at training camp in 2019

On March 5, 2018, before the start of his junior year, Oliver announced that he already intended to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the 2019 NFL draft.[13] In May 2018, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay projected Oliver to go No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft.[14]

2019

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Oliver was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round with the ninth overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft.[15] On May 9, 2019, Oliver signed his four-year rookie contract, worth a fully guaranteed $19.7 million.[16]

In week 7 against the Miami Dolphins, Oliver recorded his first career sack on Ryan Fitzpatrick in the 31–21 win.[17] In week 13 against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, Oliver recorded two sacks on quarterback Dak Prescott, including a strip sack recovered by teammate Trent Murphy that set up a Bills touchdown in the 26–15 win.[18][19] Oliver was named the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for his performance in Dallas.[20][21] He finished his rookie season with five sacks and 43 combined tackles.[22] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[23]

2020

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In Week 2 against the Dolphins, Oliver recorded another season opening sack on Ryan Fitzpatrick during the 31–28 win.[24] He finished the season with 33 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble through 16 starts.[25]

2021

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Oliver entered the 2021 season as a starting defensive tackle. He started all 17 games, recording 41 tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble.[26]

2022

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On April 26, 2022, the Bills picked up the fifth-year option on Oliver's contract.[27] In Week 12, Oliver had six tackles, two for a loss, a safety, a forced fumble and recovery in a 28–25 win over the Lions, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[28] He made 13 starts and appearances in the 2022 season. He recorded 2.5 sacks, one safety, 34 total tackles (20 solo), three passes defended, and one forced fumble.[29] In the Bills' Divisional Round win over the Dolphins, Oliver had one sack.[30]

2023

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On June 3, 2023, Oliver signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension with the Bills.[31] He made 16 starts and appearances in the 2023 season. He had 9.5 sacks, 51 total tackles (34 solo), one interception, three passes defended, and one forced fumble.[32]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TFL QBH Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Y/I Lng TD FF FR Yds Y/R TD
2019 BUF 16 7 43 24 19 5 8 5.0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2020 BUF 16 16 33 23 10 6 6 3.0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2021 BUF 17 17 41 29 12 10 14 4.0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2022 BUF 13 13 34 20 14 9 14 2.5 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.0 0
2023 BUF 16 16 51 34 17 14 16 9.5 0 3 1 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2024 BUF 7 7 13 7 6 2 5 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Career 85 76 215 137 78 46 63 25.0 1 14 1 0 0 0 6 1 0 0.0 0

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TFL QBH Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Y/I Lng TD FF FR Yds Y/R TD
2019 BUF 1 0 4 0 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 BUF 3 3 8 5 3 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021 BUF 2 2 5 4 1 2 2 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022 BUF 2 1 4 2 2 1 3 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 8 6 21 11 10 4 5 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life

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A native of Houston, Texas, Oliver is an avid horseback rider.[33]

On May 16, 2020, Oliver was arrested in Houston on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawfully carrying a weapon and held in Montgomery County Jail before posting bail the next day.[34] The charges were dismissed in July due to lack of evidence.[35] Later reflecting on the arrest, Oliver stated that he felt "violated" and recorded a 0.00% on his breathalyzer test.[36]

References

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  1. ^ Davis, Danny (November 21, 2015). "Lake Travis moves to third round of state football playoffs". American-Statesman.
  2. ^ "Westfield vs Lake Travis: Full Game 11.21.2015". Texan Live. November 23, 2015 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ "Ed Oliver, 2016 Defensive Tackle, Houston". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  4. ^ "College Sports News and Recruiting".
  5. ^ Hamilton, Gerry (May 22, 2015). "Houston nabs commitments from No. 3 DT Edward Oliver, tackle Jordan Elliott". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  6. ^ Khan Jr., Sam (September 15, 2016). "From five-star recruit to fabulous freshman, Houston's Ed Oliver making presence felt". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  7. ^ Myerberg, Paul (November 24, 2016). "Houston's top prospect, DL Ed Oliver, proves to be something special". USA Today. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  8. ^ Duarte, Joseph (November 23, 2016). "UH freshman Ed Oliver on quest to be the best". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  9. ^ McIlvoy, Randy (December 6, 2016). "UH DT Ed Oliver named 2016 Bill Willis Award winner". Click 2 Houston. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  10. ^ Duarte, Joseph (December 7, 2017). "UH's Ed Oliver wins Outland Trophy". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  11. ^ "Ed Oliver Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  12. ^ "2019 NFL Draft Scout Ed Oliver College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  13. ^ Lewis, Edward (March 6, 2018). "Houston DT Ed Oliver intends to enter 2019 NFL Draft". NFL.com.
  14. ^ McShay, Todd (May 3, 2018). "McShay's way-too-early 2019 NFL Mock Draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  15. ^ Wesseling, Chris (April 26, 2019). "Bills use No. 9 pick on former Houston DT Ed Oliver". NFL.com.
  16. ^ Zucker, Joseph (May 9, 2019). "Ed Oliver Agrees to 4-Year Rookie Contract with Bills". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  17. ^ "Bills D delivers in 31-21 victory over winless Dolphins". ESPN. October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  18. ^ Wolf, Jason (November 28, 2019). "Bills rookie Ed Oliver enjoys breakout performance in victory over Cowboys". The Buffalo News. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  19. ^ "Trick TD sparks Bills in 26-15 Thanksgiving win over Cowboys". ESPN. November 28, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  20. ^ "Bills Today — Ed Oliver received this NFL award for his play in Week 13". www.buffalobills.com. December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  21. ^ "Oliver named NFL's Rookie of the Week". News 4 Buffalo. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  22. ^ "Ed Oliver 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  23. ^ "2019 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "Allen reaches career high in passing, Bills beat Dolphins". ESPN. Associated Press. September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  25. ^ "Ed Oliver 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  26. ^ "Ed Oliver 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  27. ^ Glab, Maddy (April 26, 2022). "Bills exercise DT Ed Oliver's fifth-year option". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  28. ^ Gordon, Grant (November 30, 2022). "Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, Raiders RB Josh Jacobs lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  29. ^ "Ed Oliver 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  30. ^ "Wild Card - Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills - January 15th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  31. ^ Simmons, Myles (June 3, 2023). "Ed Oliver, Bills agree to four-year contract extension". NBCSports.com.
  32. ^ "Ed Oliver 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  33. ^ Martinelli, Michelle R. (March 2, 2019). "Ed Oliver on how his horse Oreo helped him take on 300-pound linemen". For The Win. USA Today. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  34. ^ "Bills lineman Ed Oliver arrested on DWI, gun charges". ESPN.com. May 17, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  35. ^ Dajani, Jordan (July 22, 2020). "Charges dismissed against Bills' Ed Oliver after DWI arrest in May due to lack of evidence, per report". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  36. ^ Louis-Jacques, Marcel (August 10, 2020). "Bills' Oliver feels violated by unwarranted arrest". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
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