Donovan Ezeiruaku- 6 Things To Know About Eagles Draft Prospect

Will The Eagles turn to Donovan Ezeiruaku (Ezz-AH-rah-koo) at pick 32? The Boston College star Edge Rusher is rising up draft boards, but before we get to draft night, here is what you should know about the potential Eagles draft pick. 6 Things You Should Know About Donovan Ezeiruaku Elite Production In 2024 In terms of production, it is hard to argue with what Ezeiruaku did in 2024. His 16.5 sacks were second behind only Mike Green. His 60 total pressures were the 4th most among players in this draft class. His 20 QB hits lead the whole draft class. But he was no one trick pony. He also was second in Run Stops (30) among edge defenders in this draft class. Both his Run Stop Win Rate and Pass Rush Win Rate were in the top 1% of Edge Defenders of this class. And he hardly ever misses a tackle, with 39 (2nd most for edge Defenders) compared to only 2 misses. That production was enough for him to win the Tim Hendricks Award given to the top DE in the nation. He was also a consensus All-American, 1st Team All-ACC, and the ACC Defensive Player Of the Year. https://twitter.com/BCFootball/status/1863000939042664705 The Traits Match The Production Just because someone puts up big numbers in College though does not mean they will in the pros. The question becomes does he have the traits to make it work in the Pros too? The combine certainly showed he does. Ezeiruaku did not run the 40. But he ran the 3-Cone Drill, and the Shuttle, leading all Edge Rushers in both drills. His Athleticism score of 84 was the 5th best for Edge Rushers. He is a bit undersized at 6ft2 and 248lbs, but he makes up for it with long arms (34") and a large wingspan (82.4"). He also makes up for it with a utility belt worth of pass-rush tools, including the Ghost Rush, which he often uses to counter Offensive Linemen who have the physical advantage over him. https://twitter.com/TampaBayTre/status/1894742604253630621 Praised By Former NFL Head Coach Donovan Ezeiruaku has a bit of a leg up on most College Prospects in that he has been coached up by someone with real NFL Experience, Bill O'Brien. The former Texans Head Coach, and longtime NFL assistant coach, took over at Boston College in 2024. And he has a lot of praise for Ezeiruaku "He's got great ability off the edge. His take off at the snap of the ball is very difficult to deal with. Then, when once he gets past the tackle he's got great acceleration to the quarterback. He actually…I give Donovan credit. He literally took over two or three games we won. We won the game because of Donovan. That's rare from the defensive end position." Later when talking to ESPN at the Senior Bowl, he also explained how he thinks Ezeiruaku uses his bend to make up for being a bit undersized. "He can bend the edge and look like he's almost sideways six inches off the ground, and a 6-foot-6 tackle can't touch him because he's so low -- there's no surface area to punch. He has the unique ability to do that. It's very hard to find that." Senior Bowl Standout If you have been reading all these draft previews, I might start to sound like a broken record with how much I bring up the Senior Bowl. But it matters. It is a chance to show that even against elite competition, you can still win. Especially for players who maybe didn't face top competition in College. Boston College isn't Toledo, Marshall, or North Dakota State. But it also is not Alabama, Ohio State, or Georgia. So the Senior Bowl gave Ezeiruaku the chance to go up against the top O-Linemen in the class and prove he can hang, and he did just that. Both ESPN and NFL.com singled him out as one of the top standouts at the Senior Bowl. With Lance Zierlein from NFL.com writing this about him. "In one-on-one drills here in Mobile he showed off his ability to get quick wins with his angles and attack plan at the junction point. In the scrimmage portion, he showed off his ability to use his length to gain separation from blockers to keep from getting swallowed. He was good in Tuesday’s practice and kept it up on Wednesday." Local Kid From South Jersey He might have played his College Ball in Boston, but Ezeiruaku played his High School ball 40 minutes outside of Philly In Williamstown, Monroe, NJ. And at the Senior Bowl, he was asked what it means to see guys from Philly and South NJ shine at the event. "It's special. It's special. People hear Jersey football and they don't think it's a lot going on over there. But, it's a lot of guys coming out of South Jersey especially. Everybody hears about North Jersey, but a lot of guys come out that South Jersey area. It's really cool to see we're all at these spots like the (East-West) Shrine Bowl or the (Reese's) Senior Bowl or going to the combine...we've all trained at the same facility in Ft. Lauderdale, so it's really cool to see and you'll see many more guys from South Jersey coming and getting to this level as well." Has Been Dedicated To Being Great For A Long Time Like many young kids, Ezeiruaku tried out many sports. But his Basketball coach noticed a trait in a 7-year-old Ezeiruaku that maybe made him a better fit for Football. “I was really aggressive playing basketball, and he recommended to my dad that I should try out football because of how aggressive I was." Football fit him like a glove, even if his mom did not approve of the choice at first. But eventually, his steadfast dedication to the sport, including apparently skipping meals to make sure he stays at the right weight to play Pee Wee Football, won even here over. That dedication was not only shown in his own game though, but in how he tried to coach up his own teammates. Even as a kid, he was taking on the role of team leader, coaching up his own teammates on the sideline. That is not a trait he lost once he got to College. His younger teammates this past year even made sure to thank him for everything he did for them. A gesture he didn't understand, as he was just doing what came naturally to him, as he explained when talking to the media at the NFL Combine. "The type of person I am, I didn't really understand, like, ‘What are you talking about? I'm just being who I am. If I can talk to you, give you a little wisdom, that's what I'm supposed to do." The Eagles love finding players who are not just individually great but are great teammates and leaders. Ezeiruaku certainly fits that bill. Watch Kincade & Salciunas on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page for discussion about the latest breaking sports news in Philadelphia.