Why Donovan Ezeiruaku is a Dark Horse Candidate For Defensive Rookie of the Year
In the second round of this year's NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys stayed true to their big board and selected defensive end Donavon Ezeiruaku with the 44th overall pick. The ideal goal is that Ezeiruaku can continue his dominant pass-rushing ability that he displayed at Boston College in the pros. He will be filling an important void as longtime Cowboy DeMarcus Lawrence departed for the Seattle Seahawks this offseason. The Cowboys hope Ezeiruaku and All-Pro Micah Parsons can build a better connection than Parsons and Lawrence did and become one of the best edge-rushing duos in the NFL.
Ezeiruaku, in his time at Boston College, was a force for the Eagles. In his last season, he recorded 16.5 sacks, had 21 tackles for loss, and was the 2024 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Head Coach Bill O'Brien had a lot of praise for Ezeiruaku when talking to Dallas media, saying how he single-handedly won them a couple of games with his ability to create turnovers with a strip sack. His ability to play the run is also a huge reason why the Cowboys drafted him and believed he was the best player on their board. Ezeiruaku's leadership ability was the last box that was checked when the Cowboys selected him and is a huge part of this new culture that head coach Brian Schottenheimer is looking to create, with O'Brien stating how he was a voice that everyone on the team listened to when speaking and that he was voted on as team captain by all his peers.
With Jared Verse of the Los Angeles Rams winning Rookie of the Year last season, it gives a glimmer of hope that Ezeiruaku can win the award this season. Of course, he is not the favorite heading into the season with players such as Abdul Carter, Travis Hunter, and Mason Graham being in the same class, but Ezeiruaku putting up a strong year can have him in the running for the award. The Cowboys have high ambitions of him putting up a solid year next to Parsons and say he puts up a solid six to seven sacks with turnovers and impressive play in the backfield. Alongside the fact that the Cowboys could have a great record and a high-ranked defense, he could easily be in contention for the award. It might be a long shot for him to end up with the award, but if all the variables go in his favor, he can become the second player in the last five years for the Cowboys to be the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
