9:02 am | November 30, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
1:55 PM ET
All-American defensive tackle Ed Oliver‘s playing days at Houston are over as the junior is skipping the Cougars’ bowl game to begin preparing for the NFL draft, sources close to Oliver told ESPN on Friday.
Oliver’s decision comes a week after he told the Houston Chronicle that he intended to play in the Cougars’ bowl game, despite aggravating a knee injury during the team’s regular-season finale against Memphis on Nov. 23.
Oliver, who missed four games in November because of a bruised right knee suffered Oct. 20 vs. Navy, played in the first half of the Cougars’ 52-31 loss to Memphis, but didn’t play in the second half. Oliver had three tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass breakup against Memphis, but said he got his knee rolled in the first half. He would have been available for a specific third-down package for the Cougars in the second half.
Oliver announced in March that he would forego his senior season and enter the 2019 NFL draft. After being listed as a top-five draft prospect for most of the year, Oliver dropped to No. 8 on ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper’s most recent Big Board.
In October, Oliver told ESPN that he felt he deserved to be the No. 1 pick and was upset to see other players higher than him on some draft boards.