Subscribe
Follow Us
With the first day of Reese's Senior Bowl practices officially in the books, one of the biggest stars of the show in Mobile, Alabama, is Donovan Ezeiruaku, the edge-rushing star from Boston College who is in conversation to be selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
With long arms, a fast first step, and a knack for finishing on his rushes, Ezeiruaku finished off his 2024 season with an incredible 16.5 sacks for the Eagles under head coach Bill O'Brien.
Now focused on the future, Ezeiruaku sat down with NFL.com's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garofalo to discuss his experience in Mobile so far, with the three-star recruit out of Williamstown, New Jersey, letting the reporting duo know that he's been incredibly excited about the opportunity, as it's allowed him to have a personal experience with the scouts, GMs, and coaches who could decide on his future.
“This is just an opportunity for me to go out here in front of scouts, GMs, and coaches and just show them the competitor I am,” Donovan Ezeiruaku told Rapoport and Garofalo. “Obviously, you've seen the tape already, but just to shake hands and really see these executives face to face, I think that's the biggest opportunity for me.”
You know, that's a surprisingly mature response from the senior edge rusher, who finished out his career with 196 tackles, 28 sacks, and six forced fumbles for BC. With a former NFL coach in his corner in O'Brien and the 28th spot on Daniel Jeremiah's top-50 prospects list, it's clear Ezeiruaku isn't letting this opportunity pass him by.
From The Insiders in Mobile: Boston College edge Donovan Ezeiruaku joined us after @seniorbowl practice. pic.twitter.com/4aIc7xwEIU
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 29, 2025
Daniel Jeremiah believes the Donovan Ezeiruaku hype is real
Speaking of Ezeiruaku's spot on Jeremiah's list, the veteran scout had some incredible things to say about the edge rusher he expects to go in the first round.
Ezeiruaku is a compact edge rusher with outstanding length, burst and production. In the pass game, he has a very quick first step and gets on top of blockers in a hurry. He excels at prying open the outside shoulder and cornering toward the quarterback. He has a full array of moves to complement his speed rush. He has won with a club/swim, inside counter, spin move and Euro step. He’s an outstanding finisher (16.5 sacks in 2024). Against the run, he needs to be more consistent using his length to stack blocks. He takes them on with his shoulder too often. He shows solid effort on the back side to chase plays. Overall, Ezeiruaku has an ideal body type to rush the passer, and he has all the tricks in his bag to win against good players.
Currently listed as the seventh-ranked defensive end/outside linebacker on Jeremiah's 1.0 list, Ezeiruaku will certainly draw interest from teams like the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Philadelphia Eagles, who run traditional 3-4 outside linebackers who can kick it onto the defensive line from a four-point stance on obvious passing downs. Where he goes, however, will be defined by his Senior Bowl and his 2025 NFL Combine performance, too.
