Isaiah Oliver (born September 30, 1996) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, and was drafted by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

in the second round of the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...

Early years

Oliver attended Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix. He played both wide receiver and

on the

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

team. Coming out of high school, he was a three-star recruit according to

ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...

. He committed to

to play

over offers from

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. Oliver also ran track in high school, posting a personal best time of 10.56 seconds in the 100 meter dash.

College career

Oliver played at Colorado from 2015 to 2017. During his collegiate career, he had 82 total tackles and three interceptions. After his junior season in 2017, Oliver decided to forgo his senior year and enter the

. Oliver was also a member of

's track and field team.

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

The

selected Oliver in the second round (58th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. Oliver was the eighth cornerback drafted in 2018. On May 9, 2018, the Falcons signed Oliver to a four-year, $4.63 million contract that includes $2.14 million guaranteed and a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $1.45 million. Oliver recorded his first career interception during Week 16 against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

. In Week 2 of the 2019 season against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

, Oliver recorded 6 tackles in the 24–20 win. On fourth and 8 with one minute left in the game, Oliver tackled tight end

Zach Ertz Zachary Adam Ertz (born November 10, 1990) is an American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft and later won Supe ...

just short of the first down marker, sealing a Falcons win. In Week 8 of the 2020 season against the

on ''

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...

'', Oliver recorded his first career sack on Teddy Bridgewater during the 25–17 Falcons' victory. Oliver entered the 2021 season as a Falcons starting cornerback. He suffered a knee injury in Week 4 and was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on October 5, 2021. On March 18, 2022, Oliver signed a one-year contract extension with the Falcons. He was placed on injured reserve on September 1, 2022. He was activated on October 15.

San Francisco 49ers

On March 15, 2023, Oliver signed a two-year deal with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

. He played in 17 games with six starts, recording 67 tackles, two passes defensed and one interception. On February 23, 2024, Oliver was released by the 49ers.

New York Jets

Oliver signed with the

on March 11, 2024.

Personal life

Oliver's father,

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

, played in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

. His uncle,

Damon Mays Damon E. Mays, Jr. (born May 20, 1968) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers and Washington Redskins. He was drafted in the ninth round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowb ...

, also played in the

NFL career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

NFL Draft & Combine Profile - Isaiah OliverAtlanta Falcons bioColorado Buffaloes bioTwitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Isaiah 1996 births Living people Players of American football from Phoenix, Arizona American football cornerbacks Colorado Buffaloes football players Atlanta Falcons players San Francisco 49ers players New York Jets players