Ed Oliver, defensive tackle, Houston
Houston landed a gold mine when Oliver committed ahead of the 2016 season. The former five-star defensive tackle wreaked havoc on his competition as a true freshman last year, racking up 65 tackles, 22 for a loss and 5.5 sacks.
Those are impressive numbers for a freshman defensive end. They’re downright scary for a guy who spends his time toiling away inside.
The way this kid uses his hands and quickness to create pressure brings to mind the likes of Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald. That’s the kind of impact we’re talking about — both at the collegiate and professional level — this young man can have.
And the best part? He’s driven to get better. He thinks he should improve upon last year’s totals by a significant amount.
“In the 30 tackles for loss region … probably 60-70 tackles and 10 sacks,” Oliver said recently, via Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle. “That’s where I need to be, where I should be.
“I’m not allowed to be a kid anymore,” Oliver said. “I’m a dude as we say in this program. I’m held to high expectations because a lot of teammates look up to me and I want to show them the right things to do.”
Let’s not forget, regardless of what he said, that Oliver is still just a kid. He’s 19 and won’t turn 20 until near the end of the 2017 season in December. With that in mind, it’s kind of frightening to consider how much better he might get in the coming years.