Looking back at the eight players selected ahead of Ed Oliver in 2019 NFL Draft

If there was one phase of the offseason that the Buffalo Bills looked forward to for a long time, it was the NFL Draft because they were a poorly run franchise at one point. That has not been the case in recent memory. Since Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane arrived and took over the Bills, Buffalo has only picked in the top ten twice (one time trading up into the top ten from #12 to draft Josh Allen). The only losing season the Bills have had under McDermott was in 2018 which put them at #9 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Defensive tackle Ed Oliver fell right into Buffalo’s lap and has been a key factor in the Bills defense. He is coming off a career year last season after signing a contract extension that now looks like a bargain.

With the Bills getting Oliver in 2019, they were able to add a defensive fit based on the scheme that Buffalo has and it has panned out up to this point.

With that being said, we take a look at the eight players that were drafted ahead of Oliver in 2019.

1.) Kyler Murray, QB - Arizona Cardinals

After trading up for quarterback Josh Rosen a year prior, the Cardinals went on to be the worst team in 2018 which landed them the number one overall pick. Head coach Steve Wilks was fired and the Cardinals hired Kliff Kingsbury who had high praise for Murray. In a no-brainer move, the Cardinals drafted Murray and traded Rosen to the Miami Dolphins.

Arizona has been at the bottom of the NFC West for quite some time now other than 2021. However, Murray was the clear-cut number one option for the Cardinals as they are better with him than without him. The Cardinals are 8-26 the last two years due to the fact that Murray tore his ACL late in 2022 but he is back and healthy now for 2024 and will take on the Bills in Week 1.

2.) Nick Bosa, DE - San Francisco 49ers

On his way to a Hall of Fame career, Nick Bosa has been a great player for the 49ers since his rookie year. After winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, Bosa has become a top three edge rusher in this league. He has double digit sacks the last three seasons and has made the Pro Bowl all but one year (in which he tore his ACL). The 49ers were lucky to get Bosa when they did because he has been nothing short of special for the defense.

3.) Quinnen Williams, DT - New York Jets

The first defensive tackle taken off the board was Quinnen Williams, coming from Alabama. The Jets managed to get one of the best interior defensive linemen in the game with Williams. He has been a great run-stopper for this Jets defense and had his breakout year in 2022 where he racked up 12.5 sacks, earning First-Team All-Pro honors. Williams is part of a defense that is built to shut down the Bills’ offense and there have been times where Williams has caused chaos against Buffalo.

4.) Clelin Ferrell, DE - Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders

One of the biggest shocks of this draft was the Raiders drafting Clelin Ferrel in the top five, many who thought Ferrell was nowhere near top five talent. The Raiders saw something in Ferrell, but the rest of the NFL did not during his time with the team. Ferrell never had more than 4.5 sacks in a season and in the last two years with the Raiders, he started in just five games. He is considered a bust as of now and will now be joining the Washington Commanders after spending last season with the San Francisco 49ers.

5.) Devin White, LB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Devin White was a special player for the Buccaneers the last five seasons, make no mistake about it. White was all over the field making tackles (he had three consecutive seasons of 100+ total tackles). However, he is no longer in Tampa Bay as he signed with Philadelphia Eagles this past offseason. White will be joining an Eagles defense that crumbled late last season so they will be relying on him to take pressure off of the offense.

6.) Daniel Jones, QB - New York Giants

This was the move that pushed a special player down the board that the Bills could acquire. This was the biggest controversial pick of the draft when the Giants made a heavy reach by drafting Daniel Jones. While he is still with the Giants, he is soon going to be out of there after 2024 unless he goes on to become an MVP favorite. Having 62 touchdowns to 40 interceptions is unbelievable, considering that the Giants wasted a top ten pick on Jones. His best season took place in 2022 where he had 15 passing touchdowns to 5 interceptions, along with over 3,200 passing yards. That is not numbers that a “franchise” quarterback should be putting up.

7.) Josh Hines-Allen, DE - Jacksonville Jaguars

Hines-Allen is fresh off of a career year with the Jaguars (17.5 sacks) that earned him a brand new five-year, $150 million contract. He is averaging nine sacks a year which is great. Whenever he faces the Bills, he is a major problem and essentially the better “Josh Allen” on the field. Hines-Allen has been great for the Jaguars defense and will look to help Jacksonville take back the AFC South.

8.) T.J. Hockenson, TE - Detroit Lions

Hockenson had a rough start to his career with the Detroit Lions because of how bad they were, but Hockenson himself displayed talent that made him valuable. In his fourth season with the Lions, Detroit made a questionable move by not just trading him, but trading him within the division to the Minnesota Vikings. Putting him in an offense with Justin Jefferson was unfair, but the Vikings made the addition happen and there have been times where Hockenson has looked like the best tight end in the league.

As you can see, there are plenty of good players that were taken before Oliver but the Bills got themselves a solid run-stopper in the middle of their defensive line. Buffalo will be hoping that he can continue to grow in his game for 2024 and beyond.