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The Green Bay Packers went against their traditional type in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft, selecting an undersized, speedy pass rusher in Oklahoma State’s Collin Oliver.
At just under 6-1 ⅔” and 240 pounds, he is a body type their pass rush simply has not had in a long time.
In his time at Oklahoma State, Oliver spent time both on the edge and at off-ball linebacker, which theoretically gives him some versatility and could get him on the field more regularly than just a traditional designated pass rusher usually would.
Both director of football operations Milt Hendrickson and general manager Brian Gutekunst spoke to this. His potential ability to play linebacker, as well as what Hendrickson called “incredible special teams value," is probably what gave them confidence to select an outlier prospect.
Whether he is an edge rusher or a linebacker, Oliver is a fantastic athlete. He ran the 40 in 4.56 seconds, with a 1.57 10-yard split, jumped 39” in the vert and 10-6 in the broad.
Using the Relative Athletic Score (RAS) system, he has "elite" speed scores in both speed and explosion, regardless of position. He has "good" size as a linebacker, owning a thick, compact build, but "very poor" size as a defensive end, and overall has a 9.88 RAS at LB and an 8.92 at DE.
The twitch and explosiveness is instantly visible on tape. If given the chance to pin his ears back, he can get to the corner quickly and stress offensive tackles with his speed. He has great burst to the ball and when he wins as a rusher, he can close to the quarterback in a flash.
Because he can only really win at one speed, he has had to become an expert within that role, and shows different ways to get from A to B.
If a tackle goes out of their way to cut off the outside, he can still loop all the way around them and manage to dip back in towards the QB. He has natural bend due to his smaller frame.
Oliver can also use the tackles’ momentum against them if they do close the outside lane, slapping their inside shoulder with enough power to ease them out the way before taking the inside path to his target instead.
He can lull tackles to sleep by easing off the line, then go up a gear to burst past them, swatting their hands down at the corner.
Because of his smaller stature, it is hard for tackles to get hold of him if he is not square on to them. They have a small surface area to hit, and Oliver keeps his hands moving to stop them getting a grip on him. He is a slippery rusher and can also dip underneath tackles as they try to punch.
Oliver does have some ability to bull rush if he has a runway to work with. He can get level with a tackle then gear up into their chest and generate some knock back. Due to the juice he has, Oliver is a threat on stunts.
The production he had as a pass rusher in college is impressive. Oliver racked up 23 sacks and 134 pressures over four years per PFF, and had an average pass rush grade of 81.3.
In the run game, Oliver has some success slipping past blockers with quickness, sidestepping them off the snap or beating reaching offensive linemen to the spot and getting himself into the backfield before they can engage him.
As an off-ball linebacker, he is willing and able to come down and make tackles in space, showed the ability to find the ball through trash at the line of scrimmage, and can be used as a quarterback spy due to his ability to chase the ball.
His experience in coverage is not extensive, but Oliver earned a 75.7 coverage grade in 2023, the season in which he had the most exposure to dropping into coverage. Oliver plays the game with good effort and intensity.
While there are some really bright flashes as a rusher, and some consistent disruption, there are natural problems that a rusher of his type has to deal with.
There are plenty of rushes where he gets completely stonewalled. He needs to work the edges of offensive linemen; if he runs directly into them, it’s like hitting a brick wall. At times Oklahoma State lined him up inside and tried to rush him from there, and he was swallowed up.
Stunting from outside to in can go poorly as the beefier offensive linemen inside can get in his way and bring the rush to an immediate halt, and even when Oliver tries to rush around the edge, tackles can just keep him out there and push him past the quarterback at times.
Against the run, Oliver can be a bit of a liability at times. Setting the edge is going to be tough for him, and he can get walled out of the play completely. He has no shot against double teams and cannot smash through pulling offensive linemen, although he fares better versus tight ends.
Oliver can get washed down the line if he tries to crash down from the end of the line of scrimmage, and he does not read or react to option plays particularly well on the edge. His career PFF run defense grade is 64.7, which is fine, but he is not an asset in that phase.
When playing off the ball, he looks a little too reactive and unsure of himself in coverage, and can get blocked by receivers out on the edge. He lacks stopping power as a tackler, often left clinging to the ball carriers’ ankles, and has an abysmal 27.6% career missed tackle rate.
He is on the ground a fair amount, partly because of the aggression he plays with but often due to being hit hard by an offensive lineman. They can toy with him at times.
A foot injury cost him almost the entire 2024 season, and it has to be questioned whether he can hold up physically playing at the line of scrimmage at his size.
Oliver is a tweener and will likely only ever be a designated pass rusher who cannot play on all three downs. Whether he can improve as a true linebacker enough to get himself on the field more regularly remains to be seen, but for a fifth-round pick, that would be a bonus and is not imperative.
Overall, he is an exciting pass rusher capable of making splash plays, and if he can have an impact when he is on the field in sub packages, Oliver will be well worth the day three pick.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers draft pick profiles: Collin Oliver brings explosive pass rush
Continue reading...
At just under 6-1 ⅔” and 240 pounds, he is a body type their pass rush simply has not had in a long time.
In his time at Oklahoma State, Oliver spent time both on the edge and at off-ball linebacker, which theoretically gives him some versatility and could get him on the field more regularly than just a traditional designated pass rusher usually would.
Both director of football operations Milt Hendrickson and general manager Brian Gutekunst spoke to this. His potential ability to play linebacker, as well as what Hendrickson called “incredible special teams value," is probably what gave them confidence to select an outlier prospect.
Whether he is an edge rusher or a linebacker, Oliver is a fantastic athlete. He ran the 40 in 4.56 seconds, with a 1.57 10-yard split, jumped 39” in the vert and 10-6 in the broad.
Using the Relative Athletic Score (RAS) system, he has "elite" speed scores in both speed and explosion, regardless of position. He has "good" size as a linebacker, owning a thick, compact build, but "very poor" size as a defensive end, and overall has a 9.88 RAS at LB and an 8.92 at DE.
The twitch and explosiveness is instantly visible on tape. If given the chance to pin his ears back, he can get to the corner quickly and stress offensive tackles with his speed. He has great burst to the ball and when he wins as a rusher, he can close to the quarterback in a flash.
Because he can only really win at one speed, he has had to become an expert within that role, and shows different ways to get from A to B.
If a tackle goes out of their way to cut off the outside, he can still loop all the way around them and manage to dip back in towards the QB. He has natural bend due to his smaller frame.
Oliver can also use the tackles’ momentum against them if they do close the outside lane, slapping their inside shoulder with enough power to ease them out the way before taking the inside path to his target instead.
He can lull tackles to sleep by easing off the line, then go up a gear to burst past them, swatting their hands down at the corner.
Because of his smaller stature, it is hard for tackles to get hold of him if he is not square on to them. They have a small surface area to hit, and Oliver keeps his hands moving to stop them getting a grip on him. He is a slippery rusher and can also dip underneath tackles as they try to punch.
Oliver does have some ability to bull rush if he has a runway to work with. He can get level with a tackle then gear up into their chest and generate some knock back. Due to the juice he has, Oliver is a threat on stunts.
The production he had as a pass rusher in college is impressive. Oliver racked up 23 sacks and 134 pressures over four years per PFF, and had an average pass rush grade of 81.3.
In the run game, Oliver has some success slipping past blockers with quickness, sidestepping them off the snap or beating reaching offensive linemen to the spot and getting himself into the backfield before they can engage him.
As an off-ball linebacker, he is willing and able to come down and make tackles in space, showed the ability to find the ball through trash at the line of scrimmage, and can be used as a quarterback spy due to his ability to chase the ball.
His experience in coverage is not extensive, but Oliver earned a 75.7 coverage grade in 2023, the season in which he had the most exposure to dropping into coverage. Oliver plays the game with good effort and intensity.
While there are some really bright flashes as a rusher, and some consistent disruption, there are natural problems that a rusher of his type has to deal with.
There are plenty of rushes where he gets completely stonewalled. He needs to work the edges of offensive linemen; if he runs directly into them, it’s like hitting a brick wall. At times Oklahoma State lined him up inside and tried to rush him from there, and he was swallowed up.
Stunting from outside to in can go poorly as the beefier offensive linemen inside can get in his way and bring the rush to an immediate halt, and even when Oliver tries to rush around the edge, tackles can just keep him out there and push him past the quarterback at times.
Against the run, Oliver can be a bit of a liability at times. Setting the edge is going to be tough for him, and he can get walled out of the play completely. He has no shot against double teams and cannot smash through pulling offensive linemen, although he fares better versus tight ends.
Oliver can get washed down the line if he tries to crash down from the end of the line of scrimmage, and he does not read or react to option plays particularly well on the edge. His career PFF run defense grade is 64.7, which is fine, but he is not an asset in that phase.
When playing off the ball, he looks a little too reactive and unsure of himself in coverage, and can get blocked by receivers out on the edge. He lacks stopping power as a tackler, often left clinging to the ball carriers’ ankles, and has an abysmal 27.6% career missed tackle rate.
He is on the ground a fair amount, partly because of the aggression he plays with but often due to being hit hard by an offensive lineman. They can toy with him at times.
A foot injury cost him almost the entire 2024 season, and it has to be questioned whether he can hold up physically playing at the line of scrimmage at his size.
Oliver is a tweener and will likely only ever be a designated pass rusher who cannot play on all three downs. Whether he can improve as a true linebacker enough to get himself on the field more regularly remains to be seen, but for a fifth-round pick, that would be a bonus and is not imperative.
Overall, he is an exciting pass rusher capable of making splash plays, and if he can have an impact when he is on the field in sub packages, Oliver will be well worth the day three pick.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers draft pick profiles: Collin Oliver brings explosive pass rush
Continue reading...
