Dane Brugler's The Beast 2025

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(04-09-2025, 01:55 PM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: Donovan Ezeiruaku has really been growing on me. Is he on there?

Donovan Ezeiruaku Edge 6.

Quote:BACKGROUND: Donovan Ezeiruaku (Ezz-AH-rah-koo), the third of four boys, was born in Philadelphia to his parents (Sonyx and Cindy). The family later relocated to Williamstown, N.J. (20 miles south of Philadelphia). Ezeiruaku got his start in pee-wee football in Glassboro at age 7. He thought he wanted to play running back and receiver but discovered he had a knack for finding the ball and tackling, which led him to defense. Ezeiruaku also played basketball through middle school and into high school and competed in 7-on-7. 

Ezeiruaku attended Williamstown High, where he was a four-year varsity letterman and played both ways as a wide receiver and edge rusher. His role expanded as a sophomore, as he helped the team to an undefeated 12-0 record and the 2018 South Group 5 state championship. As a junior, Ezeiruaku led Williamstown to a 12-1 record and the second of its back-to-back state titles with 53 tackles and 7.5 sacks. His senior season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but he finished with 47 tackles and two sacks in nine games, earning all-area honors. Ezeiruaku also played basketball as a freshman at Williamstown and lettered in track. He had personal bests of 17 feet, 5 inches in the long jump, 37-5 in the triple jump, 39-7 in the shot put and 80-11 in the discus. 

A three-star recruit, Ezeiruaku was the 132nd-ranked linebacker in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 23 recruit in New Jersey. He didn't have any recruiting stars following his junior season, but his recruitment started to pick up steam with of f ers from FCS schools Holy Cross, Stony Brook THE BEAST | BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS 273 and Wagner, and Ivy League programs such as Harvard and Princeton. Ezeiruaku received his first FBS of f ers in May 2020 from Northern Illinois, Old Dominion and nearby Temple, followed by his first then-Power 5 of f ers from Boston College and Vanderbilt. He was unable to go on visits because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he took a chance and committed to Boston College and head coach Jef f Hafley. Ezeiruaku was the 22nd-ranked recruit (out of 26) in Hafley's 2021 class. He graduated with a degree (Dec. 2024). Ezeiruaku opted out of Boston College's 2024 bowl game and accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS:
● Bendy athlete with disproportionately long arms 
● Accelerates well around the arc with impressive body dip 
● Go-to move is a jab step with a slap/cross-chop to pry open the rush lane 
● Uses length to chop down and erase blocking hands
● Explosive laterally to sidestep and maneuver around roadblocks 
● Uses quick swim/arm-over moves to blow through tight end blocks
● Long reach helps him maintain space in the run game and stay detached on the move 
● Two-year team captain with strong football character
● Durable; started 36 straight games before opting out of the 2024 bowl game
 ● Led FBS in sacks per game (1.38) and took home the 2024 Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end 
● Tied Boston College single-season record with 16.5 sacks and joined Mathias Kiwanuka as the only players in school history to reach 30 career sacks 

WEAKNESSES: 
● Below-average height with a very light frame 
● Needs to get stronger in both his upper and lower halves to better match up against NFL linemen
● Doesn't have power in his hands to move blockers with a bull rush
 ● Needs to develop a more ef f ective low-side counter and when transitioning of f his long-arm move 
● Will have a tough time two-gapping
● Only average speed and struggles to close the gap in pursuit 
● Can shake him in the backfield; needs to stay under control breaking down in tight quarters 
● Occasionally lined up as a MIKE on third downs — but as a blitzer, not dropping or as a coverage player

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Boston College, Ezeiruaku was an outside edge rusher (left and right) in defensive coordinator Tim Lewis' 4-3 base scheme (lined up mostly as a stand-up defender, with 99.7 percent of his snaps coming wide of the tackle as a 7- or 9-tech). After leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss as a sophomore and junior, he became the 13th consensus All-American in school history as a senior and finished top three in the FBS in both sacks (16.5) and tackles for loss (20.5). 

 As a pass rusher, Ezeiruaku is more "dip-and-rip" than he is a force player, with his natural feel for depth points and the dif f erent ways he uses jab steps and cross-chops to soften the corner. He can be overwhelmed at times against the run but flashes the length to get into an opponent's pads, lock out and stalemate at the point of attack, especially on the move. 
Overall, Ezeiruaku is a tad light for a stack-and-shed edge setter, but rushing the passer is his calling card, and he has the arc acceleration, body flexibility and long, active arms to break down the balance of blockers. He has NFL starter-level talent, and his tape says he is more than a DPR (designated pass rusher). 

 GRADE: 1st-2nd round (No. 22 overall)