Fansided

Every NFL team’s biggest X-Factor in 2019

By Kevin Parvizi

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 30: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings passes the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 30: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings passes the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – APRIL 25: Ed Oliver of Houston poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen #9 overall by the Buffalo Bills during the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft on April 25, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – APRIL 25: Ed Oliver of Houston poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen #9 overall by the Buffalo Bills during the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft on April 25, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Buffalo Bills – Ed Oliver

The Buffalo Bills selected Ed Oliver with the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to stop one of the class’s absolute best prospects from sliding outside the top 10. Oliver can be a moveable chess piece for the Bills defense, but he’ll mostly call defensive tackle his home. The Bills have a rich history of blue-chip defensive tackles, as Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus have most recently been superstars at the all-important position.

Many of the league’s most valuable players are disruptive defensive tackles who can get after the quarterback, and the best of them is Los Angeles Rams terror Aaron Donald. Due to his size, motor, and ability to put pressure on the quarterback on nearly every snap, Oliver has earned flattering comparisons to Donald as a draft prospect.

Oliver will have plenty to prove in the NFL, but he could be the difference-maker for a Bills defense that was second in the NFL in yards allowed but also 18th in points allowed. The Bills need Oliver to penetrate enemy lines from the heart of their defense, and a dangerous Oliver could increase Lorenzo Alexander, Trent Murphy, and Jerry Hughes’s productivities.

The Bills have an elite cornerback in Tre’Davious White and talented safeties, but they didn’t have a single player with more than seven sacks. For the 6-10 Bills, success on defense could hinge on the pass rush playing to its potential, and nobody will make a more profound difference in that regard than the Houston Cougars rookie. It may be unfair to expect immediate greatness from Oliver, but he could be a special player.

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