Brody Oliver Has Flown Under The Pre-Draft Radar, Is It Time For The Redskins To Take Notice?

Brody Oliver, WR
School: Colorado School of Mines | Conference: RMAC (Division II)
College Experience: RS Senior | Age: 23
Height / Weight: 6’3” / 208 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 7th Round or UDFA
NFL Comparison: Robert Davis

Player Overview

Every season in the NFL an unheralded draft prospect makes waves on the big stage and shocks everyone. In 2019, could that prospect end up being Wide Receiver Brody Oliver? Coming out of Elizabeth High School in Elizabeth, Colorado Oliver was a letterman in football, track & field, and baseball. Without receiving much consideration from a division I program, Oliver took his talents to Golden, Colorado to play for the Colorado School of Mines (yes, you read that correctly). While playing under the tutelage of Head Coach Gregg Brandon, Oliver would become one of the most prolific offensive players at the Division II level.

After taking a redshirt his first year on campus Oliver made the most of his four full seasons for the Orediggers. He was a Division II First-Team All-American in his Sophmore and Senior seasons; as well as First-Team All-RMAC in 2016, 2017 & 2018. During his Senior year, Oliver led all NCAA Division II receivers in touchdowns (21) and was fourth in receiving yards (1,339). He ended his career in Golden setting numerous school records including receiving yards (4,010), touchdowns (59) and yards per catch (17.9). His 59 career touchdowns were also a RMAC conference record.

Oliver accepted an invitation to play at the East/West Shrine Game and did well in the week of practice leading up to the game. Though he did not get much of a chance to display his skill set during the game as he received only three targets. Surprisingly, Oliver did not receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Also, the Colorado School of Mines also does not have a pro day, like most Division II programs. So he will have to set his sights on participating at the pro day of the University of Colorado or Colorado State University. He will end up having a very limited window of exposure for interested clubs.

Strengths

• Oliver displayed good hands throughout his college career, often coming down with acrobatic catches most receivers would struggle with
• Has a high IQ, evident in the fact that he was selected as an All-Colorado Academic while carrying a major of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering. A playbook should be no issue for this kid
• Shows excellent body control while contorting through the air, high pointing balls and dragging his toes inbound along the sideline
• A leader on the field and in the locker room; was voted a team captain twice by his teammates (2017 & 2018)

Weaknesses

• Playing in the NCAA’s Division II, Oliver did not play against the top competition in the country and will make his learning curve much steeper than that of most rookies
• While Oliver possess plenty of physical attributes, he does not appear to be a very “twitchy “ athlete like we see of wide receivers at the next level
• His top end speed will come into question leading up to the draft. He often ran away from defenders on game film, but again, those were Division II corners and safeties

Let’s See His Work

How He Would Fit The Redskins

The issues the Redskins have at the top of their wide receiver depth chart has been well documented, but how about those last few spots? Right now the backend has Jehu Chesson, Robert Davis, Trey Quinn and Cam Sims. Outside of Chesson, this group was ravaged by injuries last year. At this point, the Redskins are just hoping these guys can return to form. While Quinn did appear late in the season last year, his particular role with the team has not been cemented just yet. There is no question that the Skins will bring in a guy, most likely through the draft, who they feel can be a WR1 for this squad. They should however bring in another wide receiver to challenge the question marks at the bottom of the depth chart. Brody Oliver is a guy who hasn’t received a lot of draft hype yet and would have to learn very quickly, but he does have the tools to play in this league. The best part of this equation is that it would cost little to no draft capitol to bring him into the program. It wouldn’t be a shock if he was able to make a team’s final 53 man roster. Will that roster spot be on the Redskins? Stay tuned Skins fans.