Another TE Prospect: Josh Oliver

[soulman]

Chicago Bears Scouting Report: Tight End Josh Oliver

ByUsayd Koshul Apr 4, 1:00 PM

 

https://247sports.com/nfl/chicago-bears/Article/Chicago-Bears-Scouting-Report-Tight-End-Josh-Oliver--130829161/?utm_source=247Sports Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=190406_104134_Chicago Bears&utm_content=Link&liveconnect=C3-52-7D-DF-F0-AF-8E-1A-53-7F-74-41-9D-F1-31-5F190406_104134ChicagoBears

 

(Photo: Jackson Moore, Scout.com)

 

As the Chicago Bears continue to get ready for the NFL Draft, the team is likely doing their homework on every prospect possible. This also includes adding players at a certain position which the team may not necessarily need.

One such example is tight end. The Bears appear to be set with Adam Shaheen and Trey Burton. However, if either one goes down, then the Bears have a major problem on their hands. Although Ben Braunecker is on the roster, he's not exactly the best option should Shaheen or Burton get injured.

In the 2019 NFL Draft, which is just days away, the Bears will have an opportunity to add a potential hidden gem to the roster on day three. One player to keep an eye on is San Jose State's Josh Oliver.

 

TE Josh Oliver, San Jose State, (6-foot-5, 249 pounds)

From his NFL.com Draft Profile via Lance Zierlein:

"Above-average, mid-air athlete with plus ball skills who was forced to deal with coverages that were consistently shaded in his direction thanks to an excessive target count. Oliver's route-running and ball-tracking talent allow him to work beyond the first level and can help NFL team's looking to push the ball downfield. Oliver will flash as an in-line blocker at times but might need to enter the league as a TE2/3 who works from the slot until he becomes more skilled and consistent at the point of attack."

Pros:

• Primarily a receiving threat when running down a seam route. On film, it was clear that Oliver made some of his best plays running down the seam.
• One thing to like about Oliver is the fact that he can line up in the slot. In Matt Nagy's offense, doing this is a crucial part of a tight end's job. Oliver showcases the ability to line up in the slot a few times each game and be someone who can move the chains.
• Seemed to improve in pass protection as his college career progressed. Oliver possesses the strength and length to be an effective blocker and at the NFL level, should be a solid option for teams as a positional blocker.
• Moderately creative when it comes to picking up yards after the catch. Oliver isn't overly special in this area, but he does enough to the point where if an offense needs a few extra yards, then he can be relied upon.
• Oliver is able to catch the ball in traffic consistently. When safeties or linebackers are tightly covering him at the next level, this will be a major advantage towards getting those 50-50 balls.

Cons:

• Poor blocker in the run game. For a tight end, being a strong run blocker is an essential component of one's game due to the fact that in certain personnel packages, tight ends are asked to be blockers.
• Needs to be a smarter football player. While Oliver seems to be ascending, sometimes he doesn't make the smartest decisions with the football in his hands While he can pick up a few extra yards after the catch, he doesn't seem to always know where defenders are.
• Oliver needs to take better pursuit angles. Whether he's got the ball in his hands or is just a blocker, he's sometimes unsure of how to fully attack the defender.
• Needs to be more physical. For a guy of his size (6-foot-5, 249 pounds), one would think that when it comes to matching up against defenders, Oliver would be able to win most one-on-one battles. However, he's pushed around and cannot handle defenders who are aggressive from the start. Oliver will need to add at least ten more pounds of muscle to his frame.

Conclusion:

During his final season in college, Oliver averaged 12.7 yards per reception. His production increased every year in college, which shows that he's growing as a player.

Overall, Oliver is a raw but ascending prospect with a few traits that the Bears will absolutely love. However, his versatility and ability to line up in multiple places might just be his best attribute.

Essentially, the Bears could decide to draft Oliver and have him play behind Burton and Shaheen before making him a regular part of the offense down the road. As of right now, Oliver projects to be someone who will be available in the fifth round for the Bears.

[abstract_thought]

He has a good combination of size, athleticism, and ball skills. The main problem is that he doesn't necessarily play to his size unless it's in the air competing for passes. I like him as an upside pick because having that combination of size and coordination as a receiver is fairly unteachable.

[beardown3231]

I think drafting a TE would be symbolic of the end of Shaheen. I can say that I wouldn't be terribly upset because at this stage he's a giant oaf who can't stay healthy, but I can't see them giving up on him already. Braunecker is a solid 3rd TE and Burton was 1 or 2 on the team in TD catches.

I can see them making TE a priority next year however if Shaheen has another disappointing year.

That being said, Oliver is a good player and some team will be getting a guy with a lot of potential.

[soulman]

22 minutes ago, beardown3231 said:

I think drafting a TE would be symbolic of the end of Shaheen. I can say that I wouldn't be terribly upset because at this stage he's a giant oaf who can't stay healthy, but I can't see them giving up on him already. Braunecker is a solid 3rd TE and Burton was 1 or 2 on the team in TD catches.

I can see them making TE a priority next year however if Shaheen has another disappointing year.

That being said, Oliver is a good player and some team will be getting a guy with a lot of potential.

If we made it a priority pick next year maybe but do you believe a 4th or 5th round pick this year would do that?

We often carry 4 TEs so that alone says we have a hole to fill. 

It's possible a mid round draftee jumps Shaheen but I'm not as negative about him as you are and anyway according to his scouting report this kid would not even come close to replacing him as an inline blocker.

He sounds more like a Zach Miller type they're gonna have to teach to run block.

[Madmike90]

Oliver is a quality prospect...I doubt he makes it to the 5th.

[WindyCity]

7 hours ago, beardown3231 said:

I think drafting a TE would be symbolic of the end of Shaheen. I can say that I wouldn't be terribly upset because at this stage he's a giant oaf who can't stay healthy, but I can't see them giving up on him already. Braunecker is a solid 3rd TE and Burton was 1 or 2 on the team in TD catches.

I can see them making TE a priority next year however if Shaheen has another disappointing year.

That being said, Oliver is a good player and some team will be getting a guy with a lot of potential.

Did Shaheen ever begin?

You can’t have what happened in the playoffs happen again. You just can’t.

They need to add a TE this season in case Burton flakes out and Shaheen continues to be an injury case.

[WindyCity]

4 hours ago, Madmike90 said:

Oliver is a quality prospect...I doubt he makes it to the 5th.

4th I think is his floor. Deep class and he is from a small school, but his athletic ability is top notch.

I really like him, but actually think he goes in the 3rd.

[soulman]

13 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

Did Shaheen ever begin?

You can’t have what happened in the playoffs happen again. You just can’t.

They need to add a TE this season in case Burton flakes out and Shaheen continues to be an injury case.

Speaking of which this concerns me far more than Shaheen's level of production.

When he's been healthy Shaheen shown some progress as a receiver and his blocking was at least as good Sims if not better.  But even at his best right now Shaheen is more of a red-zone TE.  A scoring weapon few can defend on a short field or on scoring throws.  He's had 4 tds on only 17 catches but he does need to remain uninjured this season.

Burton concerns me far more because I have been through a phase of my life when I experienced severe anxiety attacks so I know how disabling they can be mentally and physically and they don't go away just because someone tells you to buck up.  The greater concern is in his case they seem to be chronic and have repeated themselves many times.

This may be another reason why Philly never trusted him as a starter and if it continues throughout this season it may be a career ender for him.

There's also nothing that tells me a TE may not be our first pick in the draft.  With the question marks we have surrounding Burton and Shaheen and as important as that position is to our offense Pace may prioritize it over a RB or a SS.  That's just it.  We have no clue of how his board for the middle rounds looks.  All we can do is make educated guesses.

[AZBearsFan]

2 hours ago, WindyCity said:

Did Shaheen ever begin?

You can’t have what happened in the playoffs happen again. You just can’t.

They need to add a TE this season in case Burton flakes out and Shaheen continues to be an injury case.

After adding depth at WR and RB even if they don’t draft a TE they are better equipped this year to handle those losses. Last year our primary RB couldn’t catch and our RB3 and RB4 were useless, and our WR were essentially 3 deep plus forced use of Bellamy. This year we are already 4 deep at WR, and 5 if Wims turns out to be a non-zero, and at least 3 rostered RB we will have will be functional outside of traditional roles. I’m not opposed to adding one by any stretch, but I don’t understand the desperation to draft a player who ideally is MAYBE active on game days this year. 

[soulman]

7 hours ago, AZBearsFan said:

After adding depth at WR and RB even if they don’t draft a TE they are better equipped this year to handle those losses. Last year our primary RB couldn’t catch and our RB3 and RB4 were useless, and our WR were essentially 3 deep plus forced use of Bellamy. This year we are already 4 deep at WR, and 5 if Wims turns out to be a non-zero, and at least 3 rostered RB we will have will be functional outside of traditional roles. I’m not opposed to adding one by any stretch, but I don’t understand the desperation to draft a player who ideally is MAYBE active on game days this year. 

I don't think it's desperation as much as a need.  Braunecker was active for 15 games in 2018 and Brown for 14.  I realize some of that was due to Shaheen being unavailable much of the year but when Zach Miller was playing we also suited 4 TEs at times.

At least initially a kid like Oliver is gonna have a similar role to what Daniel Brown had.  Kind of a hybrid TE/Slot Receiver.  Miller did the same until he became a better blocker.  Braunecker backs Shaheen, plays ST, and maybe takes on a FB role as well.

Given Shaheen's injuries and Burton's anxiety issue I'd say we need 4 TEs on the roster and we only have 3.

[beardown3231]

9 hours ago, soulman said:

Speaking of which this concerns me far more than Shaheen's level of production.

When he's been healthy Shaheen shown some progress as a receiver and his blocking was at least as good Sims if not better.  But even at his best right now Shaheen is more of a red-zone TE.  A scoring weapon few can defend on a short field or on scoring throws.  He's had 4 tds on only 17 catches but he does need to remain uninjured this season.

Burton concerns me far more because I have been through a phase of my life when I experienced severe anxiety attacks so I know how disabling they can be mentally and physically and they don't go away just because someone tells you to buck up.  The greater concern is in his case they seem to be chronic and have repeated themselves many times.

This may be another reason why Philly never trusted him as a starter and if it continues throughout this season it may be a career ender for him.

There's also nothing that tells me a TE may not be our first pick in the draft.  With the question marks we have surrounding Burton and Shaheen and as important as that position is to our offense Pace may prioritize it over a RB or a SS.  That's just it.  We have no clue of how his board for the middle rounds looks.  All we can do is make educated guesses.

Let's put the anxiety issue away. He said sitting against PHI had nothing to do with anxiety and Nagy confirmed it by saying the MRI was worse than they thought.

If his anxiety truly concerns you more than the fact that Shaheen blows, I'm not sure what to tell you.

[abstract_thought]

When I think of strong positional classes in this year's draft, TE definitely jumps out. There are several prospects with good measured athleticism and strong production who will go in the middle rounds. Oliver and Warring are 2 of my favorites for the Bears as they can threaten the seam and allow Burton to use his mobility and work a variety of routes.

[soulman]

23 minutes ago, beardown3231 said:

Let's put the anxiety issue away. He said sitting against PHI had nothing to do with anxiety and Nagy confirmed it by saying the MRI was worse than they thought.

If his anxiety truly concerns you more than the fact that Shaheen blows, I'm not sure what to tell you.

Burton himself laid claim to the anxiety issue contributing to the groin problem so uh.....let's not put it completely away OK.  I've had enough personal experience with them to understand the impact one can have both mentally and physically.

And as for Shaheen blows.............

[beardown3231]

3 hours ago, soulman said:

Burton himself laid claim to the anxiety issue contributing to the groin problem so uh.....let's not put it completely away OK.  I've had enough personal experience with them to understand the impact one can have both mentally and physically.

And as for Shaheen blows.............

When did Burton admit that anxiety played a role in his groin injury?

[WindyCity]

4 hours ago, beardown3231 said:

Let's put the anxiety issue away. He said sitting against PHI had nothing to do with anxiety and Nagy confirmed it by saying the MRI was worse than they thought.

If his anxiety truly concerns you more than the fact that Shaheen blows, I'm not sure what to tell you.

If you believe that his anxiety issue didn’t play a role in missing the playoff game then I think you are a little too trusting.

Him having anxiety that badly is fine, we just need to be prepared for it with a better answer than Braunecker.