INDIANAPOLIS – The five-star prospect from Texas arrived on campus with prodigious hype, dominated collegiate competition and emerged as a compelling and divisive NFL prospect. Everything fits – motor, production and speed – except for place amid the league’s long-established archetypes.

The fundamental tension between outsized production and atypical size has been the dominant narrative of quarterback Kyler Murray, the Heisman Trophy winner who has become the upcoming NFL draft’s most compelling figure. Murray has received so much attention that his height measurement – 5-foot-10 1/8 recorded on Thursday – was arguably the most anticipated measurement in NFL scouting combine history.

But there’s another NFL draft unicorn – Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver – that fits Murray’s draft narrative of an elite talent who is outside of the typical NFL size paradigms.

In scouting circles, Oliver’s physical measurements and potentially ridiculous 40-yard dash are being greeted with an equal amount of intrigue. Since starting the season being hailed as the potential No. 1 pick, Oliver is now better cast as a guaranteed first-rounder. Some of that has to do with the historic defensive line depth in this class. But there’s also size concerns, as Oliver played last season at around 272 pounds – even if he was listed at 292 – and looks more like a linebacker than a defensive tackle. Oliver is believed to be 6-1, which would make him exponentially shorter and smaller than a typical NFL defensive tackle.

(His official measurement on Friday: 6-1 7/8 and 287 pounds.)

But Oliver has a raging motor, freaky physical traits and speed that’s expected to test in the 4.5 range that would essentially give him the jets of an average receiver. And there’s also high-end production, which included 53 tackles for loss in three seasons.

The tension with Oliver lies in how NFL teams will treat his anomalous size.

Before Friday, Oliver managed to evade giving the NFL and its scouting services an official height and weight.

“Oliver is a tough conversation because most of us can’t wait to see what his height and weight is this week because we don’t even know,” said Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock. He added: “If you look at historic data, at analytics, it tells you that the height and weight probably shouldn’t work in the NFL. But when a guy like that runs a 4.5 something at the combine, that changes the analytics a little bit.”

How dominant was Oliver in college? He arrived at the University of Houston as the highest recruited player in school history. He earned freshman All-American and as a sophomore became the first underclassman to win the Outland Trophy award for the country’s top interior lineman. Oliver was so confident in his NFL future that he declared he’d be entering the NFL draft before the start of his junior season, a decision that offers a window into Oliver’s endearing braggadocio.

Twice during his career, Oliver was the target of dirty hits that resulted in knee injuries – with opponents from Temple (2017) and Navy (2018) diving into his knee while he was engaged. (He missed 4.5 games in 2018.) The 2017 hit, in part, led to the NCAA to changing its rules to prevent similar blocks.

Former Houston coach Tom Herman, now at Texas, recruited Oliver and coached him for a year there. He watched him as a freshman sack both Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson twice in seismic Houston upsets, as both Oklahoma and Louisville were ranked No. 3 in the country at the time. “I think with him, the strength and explosiveness is what overcomes his lack of mass,” Herman said in a phone interview on Thursday. “He’s never going to be a 325-pound guy. But he’s just so strong and quick and explosive that it’s hard to even get your hands on him.”

Herman still marvels at Oliver’s ability to contort his body, as he recalled him running drills where linemen are working on leaning their body to rush the passer. “His shoulder pad would be a few inches off the ground,” Herman said. “It was silly the way he was able to bend while still moving.”

No one will argue with Oliver’s freakiness, but there are vexing questions about him. He’s rare in that he’s more of a run stuffer than a pass rusher, making it more difficult to justify a high draft choice.

The most often used comparison to Aaron Donald – Oliver’s favorite player – isn’t necessarily a fair one as Donald was much more refined in his technique, especially with his hands, and a more accomplished pass rusher. Oliver’s position coach at Houston for his final two seasons was also his high school position coach, which stagnated his development.

Much like NFL coaches and schemes have recently adjusted to quarterbacks coming from college and not fitting their NFL archetype – Murray, Deshaun Watson and Mayfield – there’d have to be some schematic adjustment for Oliver as well.

“The general feeling is that you get a movable piece in the front seven with whom you can find matchups and attack,” said a source familiar with Oliver. “It’d be a disservice to the kid to plug him in and keep him on one spot on the interior of the defensive line. He doesn’t fit prototypes, but he’s such a good athlete, he can play on his feet and play on the edge.”

There are no critical character flaws with Oliver, as he wasn’t a partier, generally worked hard and went to class and didn’t raise any off-field red flags. But there are general questions around Oliver involving his emotional maturity, as he showed at times in his Houston career that he could be temperamental and struggled with coaching.

That was epitomized by the great jacket flap this season that led to a wave of social media vitriol for former Houston coach Major Applewhite. In a game against Tulane in November, Oliver screamed at Applewhite on the sideline after the coach attempted to enforce a rule that injured players couldn’t wear jackets on the sideline. Both came out looking bad, as Oliver said afterward: “Last night is not who I am.”

Who will Oliver be in the eyes of NFL scouts? All that will start with Friday’s measurement. It will take a bold and creative team to pick him, which is why he has lost traction in some mock drafts.

Will Oliver be a paradigm changer? Or will teams ignore the motor, production and dynamism, and rely on their prototypes? We’ll get a better clue when he steps on a scale Friday.

“Height is a little bit overrated, I think he’s a top-10 pick,” said a veteran NFL executive. “His quickness and disruptiveness translates really well to the modern game.”

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