The NFL combine is set to start February 26, which is also about the time mock drafts start changing dramatically. Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire introduced a new name to the mix for the 49ers in his first mock draft. He still has the 49ers going with a defensive player on the front seven, but he has Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver climbing back up in the draft and landing in San Francisco.
This is a pretty stark departure from the mainstays we’ve seen in mock drafts throughout the offseason. Kentucky outside linebacker Josh Allen is a popular choice. So is Alabama defensive lineman Quinnen Williams. Ohio State’s Nick Bosa falling to No. 2 is even starting to gain traction. Oliver is a new name that harkens back to draft boards at the start of the college season when Oliver was a consensus top-three pick.
A knee injury limited Oliver’s junior year with the Cougars to just eight games. The truncated sample size diminished his overall production, and with it, his draft stock. The once surefire top-three pick was pushed in some mocks to the fringes of the top-10.
Farrar still believes NFL teams will get the dominant player who posted 10.5 sacks and 38.5 tackles for loss in his first two seasons, and believes he can impact games alongside DeForest Buckner:
The 49ers have DeForest Buckner and a cavalcade of situational defensive linemen of varying quality, but outside of Buckner, there isn’t a transcendent guy capable of demolishing an offensive line with speed and power. Oliver makes a ton of sense here—there are few interior defensive linemen over the last decade with his acceleration off the snap, freakish athleticism, and ability to bull through the pocket. There are times when Oliver plays too fast and will run himself right out of the play, but when he’s on, the 6’3”, 292-pound Houston alum makes if virtually impossible for any one offensive lineman to deal with him on a snap-to-snap basis.
Oliver doesn’t solve the 49ers’ need on the edge, and he probably fits best at the big end position where Arik Armstead plays. His selection would very likely mean Armstead’s time in San Francisco is over.
The size to play the nose tackle spot in base downs probably isn’t there for Oliver either. And even if it was, it’s hard to fathom the 49ers using the No. 2 pick on a player who’s just going to chew up blockers at that position.
There’s also the chance the 49ers go with a player like Oliver and put him at Buckner’ position at the 3-technique and push Buckner out to the edge. Doing that erases some of what made Buckner such an effective pass rusher last season though, and moving him out of a spot where he had a career year doesn’t seem conducive to building a better defense.
Ultimately the 49ers need talented football players on their roster, and Oliver inarguably fits that profile. San Francisco needs to find ways to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and if they think Oliver gives them a chance to do that, they’ll have to determine how to configure the rest of their personnel.
An edge rusher still seems like the likely choice for the 49ers with the second pick, but Oliver is another name to watch as they search for game-wrecking players on the defensive front.
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