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Even with the NFL draft months away, it is never to early to start looking at some of the many prospects that will be future NFL players. There will be more comprehensive profiles completed, and Big Boards assembled as the draft draws closer, especially after the offseason All Star events and NFL Combine are completed, and more tape is studied. However, this preview series will give a brief view at this point to some of the popular players we will hear about as potential first or second round picks in April, and if they could be a fit for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Football is such an interesting game because good players can come from anywhere. Some players are just born with a natural instinct and ability that trump their size or measurables. Those players are best described as “football players.” Donovan Ezeirauku is just that, a football player. His blend of talent, instinct and football IQ are just about unmatched in this class as a total package. Some organizations that have specific draft profiles on certain positions will have him slide down the board but could be missing out on a future Pro Bowl player.
Ezeiruaku’s game is built on explosion, instinct and technical savvy. However, the beauty in his rushes is that he does not rely on one component in his rush plan. He is a masterful technician that blends his bend, burst, explosion, motor, and guile to win consistently and keep his opponents guessing on what is coming next. His ability to burst off the snap and bend the edge table sets a variety of rush moves that include stabs, long arms, chops, rips and bunch of head and shoulder dips and fakes that become a menace for any tackle against him. When you watch him, you can just see he has instinct for the position with his movements and an understanding of leverage and timing. His motor and stamina are fantastic as he continues to work to the whistle which leads to a bunch of clean up sacks and tackles. Even with his size, he does a decent job as a run defender by being able to use his hands to keep his frame clean and shed blocks.
The obvious caveat to Ezeirauku’s game is his size. As one would assume, bigger tackles can give him issues with power. If he misses a hand placement or does not win immediately off the snap against bigger defenders, he can be held in check throughout the rep. This lack of size also has some limitations in run defense especially against pulling or moving linemen where he just doesn’t have the bulk to sink and set the edge consistently. Adding some overall functional, especially lower half strength, will be a necessity to develop into a three-down player at the next level. This added strength paired with his understanding of leverage will help him develop his bull rush which could be a very effective counter to his bend and burst.
With more comprehensive evaluations and post-season testing, Ezeriauku’s draft stock continues to rise. His size is his only limitation on being considered a lock top 15 player IMO. His tape is that good from a pass rush perspective. Because he is so polished already as a rusher it was difficult to find an exact comp, but his frame, burst and twitch reminded me of Tak McKinley at UCLA. He was another rusher that used good bend and quick feet to win reps off the snap and flatten the corner and he was effective in the NFL for a short time before injuries set in. I fully expect Ezeiruaku to be selected in the first round of the draft anywhere from pick 15 to 32. He will be scheme specific to any team that is willing to draft a rotational pass rush specialist that would be best served initially from a wide alignment. He would be a fantastic compliment to any team with an established pass rusher opposite him that can occupy double teams or any team looking to add a speed element off the edge.
I must admit that being from the old school of learning how to watch tape, I can be a bit of a snob with measurables. I was groomed from the school to bet on players that reach certain benchmarks of height and weight as a floor to evaluation. Thankfully with the evolution of sport, I have begun to not hold such strong opinions of measurables, which has helped me to prioritize pure talent and effort than I would have in the past. With that said, I have Ezeiruaku as the #2 prospect on my realistic Big Board of players to be available at 1.22 behind only Colston Loveland. He is as clean and polished as a pure pass rusher that I have evaluated since Aidan Hutchinson or Jaelan Phillips. If Colston and Warren were off the board, I would not hesitate to make Ezeiruaku my selection at 1.22. I think he can come in and immediately be used in rush packages and would be a perfect speed compliment to the power of Mack and Tuli while he continues his growth into a three down edge defender.
One of the things I like about EZ as an Edge is that he’s not currently a 1-trick pony with his pass rush moves like a few other Edges are. He’s got a pretty similar build and RAS to Khalil (Mack stands out in the Jumps/explosive strength)
He seems to be the most common player taken by the Bolts in most mocks online that I’ve seen too and I wonder where the team views the Edge class in relation to other groups since we already know about the connection with Josiah Stewart but taking an Edge with 1 of the first 3 picks seems like most obvious draft outcome.
@evolz3737 In the newest episode on The Lightround Podcast, Jamie went through his rankings of the EDGE players. He had Ezeiruaku as his #5 with a mid 2nd-round grade (85), talking about wanting him to develop counters and be a better run-defender. He sees him as a situational pass-rusher, for now.
As I read your post, you are a bit higher on Ezeiruaku than Jamie is. Could you elaborate where your opions differ?
He talks about him from minute 5:00 to 11:00.
Link: The Walkthrough with Jamie Hoyle: 2025 Edge Class
@bolt_dk I wanted to watch the pod before I responded. I would agree with him that Ezeiruaku’s run defense needs work. I wrote that in my profile, but I think that is more to do with size than effort or technique. If he was 6’4, 255 he would be a top 5 pick. I disagree that he does not counter, that is one of the strongest aspects of his game. He keeps his hands working and has instinct with leverage to be able to counter with swims, dips and cross chops. He does have a tendency to get stopped against bigger tackles because he doesn’t have the size or power to just get inside the frame of the tackle and bull rush him back. I mentioned he can get engulfed by bigger tackles that thwart his initial rush, but he continues to fight through the rep and with his long arms sometimes he is able to at least get an arm in to pressure if not keep motoring for a cleanup TFL or sack. His size limits his anchor in run defense. He is not a Joey Bosa or TJ Watt that have the size and power to set the edge. He is more of a Nick Bonito type that can come in on sub packages and be a menace off the edge initially. Whether he can come into an NFL training program and add some functional strength to assist in that area remains to be seen, but I would have faith in our strength program to add some bulk w/out losing his agility. Since I can’t get the cut ups or DVR clips I have on here, the best I could do was to show you some YouTube reps.
The first clip from the Senior Bowl pretty much wraps up in a bow about what I saw. The first rep, he gets handled by Mbow, a big OT, but he is able to still fight through to at least get an arm in to disrupt the potential QB. The second rep is why you draft him. He is up against no slouch in Conerly. He just embarrasses him with a ghost rush where he incorporates an outside jump with a cross chop and then a dip and rip. Some guys don’t have those three in their whole arsenal, no less one complete rush. Again, take the Senior Bowl reps with a grain of salt because they are 1v1 with a ton of space. Also, you get a few good Zabel reps in there. And also some Darius Alexander who I would love in Rd2 if we passed on DT Rd1.
The second clip is a highlight reel, which I hate, but it’s what I could post and it has some coaches film/All-22 looks. The rush he has at 5:45 might be the most ridiculous one I’ve seen. I won’t spoil it here, but for a guy that supposedly doesn’t have counters, it looks like he found one there.
He is not a complete Edge player, yet, IMO. He still needs to add some bulk and be more aware in run defense, but as a pure pass rush element, he is elite. In this division, we need to get after the QB. Mack is 34 and Tuli is a power edge that is better with manufactured rushes or cleanups. We do not have anyone on the team that can hit the snap, flatten the edge and pressure the QB. If you wait until after Rd1, you will have to pray that Josiah Stewart lasts, because he would be the last of the speed rushers that would make an immediate impact.
Agree with your take on Ezeiraku (sp?), especially his repertoire, active hands, and elite bend. He’s unlikely to get a lot more sand in his pants to set the edge but he can learn more run awareness. He could well be BPA at 22.
Nice shout out on Alexander. I like him a lot.
Posting my notes on Ezeiraku to complement Erick’s
I think the League will be a bit lower on him that Mock Drafts suggest. I had a second round grade on him.
- Used as a 4-3 Defensive End at Boston College (mix of standing and hand in the dirt). Looks undersized for the position at NFL level. Better suited to playing stand-up 3-4?
- As a pass rusher:
- Get-off needs work to justify a Day 1 selection. Might be why he didn’t run the forty/ten at the Combine.
- Plays with good lateral agility and the athleticism to use swims/arm overs and inside counters.
- Motor doesn’t always seem to run hot. Not to the level of questioning effort but high effort doesn’t jump off the tape.
- Natural and athletic movement skills with bend to run the hoop and flatten at the top of his arc.
- Changes up the pacing and timing of his rushes.
- Key weakness is his poor speed-to-power conversion. Nowhere near strong enough to pose a legitimate bull rush threat.
- Once OL get their hands on him the rep is generally over. No counter moves and hand usage is below average.
- Also found himself on the ground too often in the games I watched (at least four examples).
- As a run defender:
- Great hand replacement and understands leverage. Lacks ideal power to set a hard edge but plays with correct technique.
- Understands the importance of playing ‘outside-in’.
- Likely to be manhandled initially at NFL level as tape shows issues shedding blocks from OTs on outside runs.
- Plays with effort and hustle chasing down back-side plays. Two examples of him tackling the RB 3+ seconds after the snap through effort.
@alisterlloyd Seems like we saw a lot of the same things. I really like what he brings as a rusher and he would be my pick at 1.22 if Warren and Loveland are gone. IMO, we need a pure pass rush off the edge to complete the power of Mack and Tuli. If Walker fell to 1.22 I would be happy for him as well. Outside of TE I want pass rush in Rd1. I could even be talked into Harmon for that reason also.
@evolz3737 I think EZ for me would fall into the category of ‘happy enough with it, but mildly concerned’. He probably won’t be in the Top 3 players I’d want when we’re on the clock.
To be clear, I loved his array of pass rush moves and his massive wing span for his size gives him a chance to translate his high sack production to the next level. It would also be nice to see a finesse player on the team after the recent spate of Power rushers.
But I think the overall size/athletic limitations are real with him and I see some elements of “boom or bust” to his game. He’s not going to get much bigger or stronger IMO, so if he can’t set a hard edge or convert speed to power in the NFL, I could see using a first round pick on him not ageing especially well.
(He’s supposedly crushing his interview process so that’s good to hear.)
@alisterlloyd I think he can have an impact though kind of like Nick Bonito type of player that is not asked to be a complete edge, but someone who can just be a pass rusher with the chance to develop into more.
@alisterlloyd I’d be interested to see what an NFL-level strength program a la Ben Herbert could do for him.
Having said that….I’ve been and remain on the Loveland train. I think he can unlock doors for Herbert and this offense.
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