Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver may very well be the most polarizing prospect in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Oliver was atop big boards in the late months of 2018 but after a late-season injury and a small spat with his coach, the electric interior defensive lineman's draft stock has taken a bit of a hit in recent months.

The Buffalo Bills have been a regular landing spot for Oliver in mock drafts the past month and we're going to discuss whether he fits or not and why the Bills should or shouldn't draft Oliver with the No. 9 pick in this year's draft.

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Getty Photo/Thomas B. Shea

How does Oliver fit with the Bills?

There might not be a better fit for the Bills in this draft class than Oliver. Sure, EDGE rusher Nick Bosa is probably the most ideal prospect to add to this defensive line but he'll be long gone by the time the Bills are drafting at No. 9.

Some experts have Oliver as a top three overall talent in this class still despite some concerns about his lack of size and some behavioral concerns after a late-season sideline shouting match with his coach at Houston. They have him ranked so high because he has generational traits when it comes to his ability to get off the line with his burst and his instincts on the field are elite.

The Bills lost d-line staple Kyle Williams to retirement and have a hole to fill even after resigning Jordan Phillips. Star Lotulelei will start as the one-technique and second-year man Harrison Phillips will be his understudy. But at the three-technique Bills coach Sean McDermott is certainly looking to fill a hole and maybe even add a player that can cause disruption and help improve the team's pass rush from the interior.

"That's really big - to be able to pressure from the inside," McDermott said last month at the NFL's Annual Meeting. "People would argue that there's ways to take away the edge rusher more than there is to take away the inside, the interior rusher. And I would probably agree. The ability to pressure and effect the quarterback from the inside out is critical when you want to play good football on defense. You've gotta make sure you have enough of those guys.”

Oliver gives the Bills a premier talent on the interior and he'll start, make an impact and help solidify the defensive line with Williams gone. He's the perfect fit at No. 9.

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Pros of drafting Oliver at No. 9

The Bills would get an elite talent that would not be there at 9 in most years.

You get best player available while filling a notable hole on the defensive side of the ball. "Oliver is a nightmare to block as a three-technique with exceptional first-step quickness, athleticism and closing burst. He has arguably the best "get off" I've seen from a prospect since Von Miller entered the league in 2011 and his first-step quickness makes him a disruptive force as a one-gap penetrator at the point of attack."

The Bills still need to add a playmaker at receiver and tight end. Plus they need another potential challenger on the offensive line for a starting spot in 2019. Luckily this year's draft is deep at all three of those positions. If the Bills go Oliver at 9 they can still add a viable player in the second and third round at those other positions.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane has said numerous times that he looks for players that want to work hard to improve. Where football is what they think about most of the time. Oliver is an insanely confident player with high expectations for himself. He said at the NFL Combine that he felt like he was the best defensive linemen there.

Beane also loves position flex. Some scouts believe Oliver is so athletic he could even play linebacker at the next level. Oliver brings versatility and that's something Beane and his staff are always keen on. "I'm a very athletic defensive tackle," Oliver said. "You never know, I might end up playing linebacker in the league. I'm not objectionable to it. I'm a D-lineman. I feel like I'm a three-technique. But if they pay me to play linebacker, guess what I'm going to be doing?"

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Ain’t too many built like @Edoliver_11. Natural Athlete and Dlineman!!! Path to the Draft!!! Road to greatness!!! pic.twitter.com/EcvXKIRAHW — Coach Brandon Jordan (@CoachBTJordan) April 6, 2019

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Cons of drafting Oliver at No. 9

Size concerns. At 6-foot-2 and 287 pounds, Oliver is a bit undersized for a traditional three-technique defensive lineman.

Oliver played under 280 at Houston which was a concern entering the combine before Oliver weighed in a 287. His weight will be something interesting to monitor for the team that drafts him when Oliver gets into training camp and then during the season.

One of the knocks on Oliver during his standout career in college was that he sometimes struggled with double teams, especially when he lined up over the center. But it's important to note that he's expected to play off the guards in the NFL and should have some more freedom to shoot gaps and make plays.

Oliver got into a verbal altercation with his coach during a game in November because he was inactive and wearing a coat. The team rule was that only active players wore the coats and he was asked to take it off. He erupted and yelled at his coach and then left the locker room after the game without addressing the situation. The entire situation had a negative impact on Oliver's draft stock and may still linger in the minds of some GMs.

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Why’d he slap Ed Oliver like this 😂



(via @thecheckdown) pic.twitter.com/KkBkgZzalJ — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 3, 2019

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What are the experts saying?

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah:

"Oliver is an undersized interior lineman with exceptional twitch and pass-rush potential. He primarily lined up over the center, but he did move around a bit in Houston's defense. Against the pass, he has an explosive first step and outstanding change-of-direction quickness. He is quick to shoot his hands, but he needs to develop a better game plan once engaged. Oliver was constantly slanting in Houston's defensive scheme, and that led to quick wins versus both the run and pass. His lack of size and length does show up in the run game -- he gets swallowed up at times. His effort is excellent, despite facing constant double-teams. Overall, Oliver isn't as powerful or polished as the Rams' Aaron Donald was entering the NFL, but he has similar athleticism and should be a disruptive force for the team that drafts him."

ESPN.com's Todd McShay:

"Oliver missed four consecutive Cougars games with a knee injury and had an explosive exchange with coach Major Applewhite on the sideline in mid-November before returning at the end of the regular season. But on the field, you don't want to have to block this guy. He explodes out of his stance, has elite initial quickness and is totally disruptive and usually unblockable one-on-one. Oliver has great range and always plays hard. He had 54 tackles, including 14.5 for a loss and three sacks, in eight games."

The Draft Network's Jon Ledyard:

"For years Ed Oliver has been heralded as no. 1 overall pick material, but the lack of improvement during his junior year is pretty troubling despite his unreal athletic gifts. Powerful, explosive and capable of winning the leverage battle on every rep, Oliver isn't where he needs to be in terms of production because of his lack of mental processing in the run game and rush plan on passing downs. Those things can be improved upon for sure, and there is no doubt Oliver's ceiling is sky-high in a league gravitating toward smaller interior defensive linemen. His size isn't a major issue by itself, but when you couple it with some of his balance concerns on the interior and the fact he hasn't faced any elite offensive line play in his college tenure, it's fair to be a little worried. Two things could help him right away in the NFL: fixing his stance and putting him at 3-technique, rather than at the nose where Houston often played him. At the end of the day, Oliver is far too explosive with freakish strength and movement skills to not take a chance on, but we need to acknowledge that he is definitely a risk; a risk that might not be worth taking in the top ten of the 2019 NFL Draft."

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein:

"Twitched-up ball of explosive fury from the moment he comes out of his stance, but his lack of NFL size and length creates challenges with his NFL projection. Oliver's athletic ability is beyond rare, but his ability to add and maintain mass could be the critical for his future success. He creates early advantages but must convert them into early disruption to prevent NFL size from swallowing him. Scheme fit will be critical with shade nose or three-technique as the obvious considerations. If Oliver's frame is maxed out, he might possess the speed, toughness and instincts to transition into an inside linebacker role."

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Prayers going out to whichever DL used to have the 3-cone and short shuttle records before Ed Oliver went to the Combine. His numbers may end up rivaling the WILL LBs in the class. Crazy hips and change of direction. pic.twitter.com/2GsYoETaQ3 — Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) February 21, 2019

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In important situations, put Ed Oliver as close to the quarterback/backfield as possible. Because he closes that gap quicklyyyyyy 🏎🏎🏎 pic.twitter.com/NMjhlAcKCG — Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) January 31, 2019

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NFL.com Scouting report

Read full bio/scouting report at NFL.com

Strengths

Elite athlete with high-end foot quickness, agility and fluidity

Built low and plays with leverage on his side

As twitchy and sudden as any interior lineman you will see

Freak-daddy workouts expected for quickness and explosion testing

Explodes into blockers with jarring pop for early advantages

Instinctive and early play diagnosis

Rare initial quickness to disrupt in gaps

Posted 53 tackles for loss in just three years

Direct, inside hands and plays under opponent's pads

Linebacker speed for extended range to tackle

Plays with consistent motor and overall hustle

Works to half-man in his rush

Tilts blocker with jab step before hitting slap-rip counter to opposite edge

Body control for efficient, edge to edge counters

Pairs spin counter with athletic ability to eat as secondary rusher

Weaknesses

Squatty, unimposing frame falls below NFL size norms inside

Scouts say he played under 280 pounds

Lacks functional length

Gets mauled by down blocks and double teams

Struggles at times when offenses run downhill at him

Gets clogged up against wide-bodies

Unable to sustain early jolts into extended power

Backdoors blocks in lateral pursuit rather than winning across the face

Forced to work excessively at disengaging from blocks

Failed to convert explosiveness into impressive sack totals

Rush attack is more predictable than diverse

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