Donovan Ezeiruaku
| No. 41 – Dallas Cowboys | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 25, 2003 Williamstown, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight: | 248 lb (112 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Williamstown (Williamstown) |
| College: | Boston College (2021–2024) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: 2nd round, 44th pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Donovan Ezeiruaku (Ezz-ah-RAH-koo; born September 25, 2003) is an American professional football defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boston College Eagles and was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Ezeiruaku won the 2024 Ted Hendricks Award.
Early life
Ezeiruaku was born on September 25, 2003, in Philadelphia and grew up in Williamstown, New Jersey.[1][2] He attended Williamstown High School and as a senior in 2020, recorded 47 tackles, including nine tackles for loss, and two sacks while leading his team to a 7–2 record.[3] Ezeiruaku committed to play college football at Boston College over schools such as Northern Illinois, Temple and Vanderbilt.[4]
College career
2021 season
As a freshman in 2021, Ezeiruaku racked up 19 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks.[5]
2022 season
In the 2022 season opener, Ezeiruaku recorded nine tackles with two being for a loss, a sack, and two forced fumbles in a loss to Rutgers.[6] In week ten, he had seven tackles with two being for a loss, a sack, and a forced fumble in a loss to Duke.[7] In the season finale, Ezeiruaku tallied nine tackles with three going for a loss,[citation needed] and 2.5 sacks, but Boston College lost to Syracuse 32–23.[8][9] He finished the season with 61 tackles with 14.5 going for a loss, 8.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and three forced fumbles,[10] earning second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) honors.[11]
2023 season
Ezeiruaku was named preseason first-team all-ACC ahead of the 2023 season.[12] In week 5 against Virginia, he recorded 6 total tackles, and 2 sacks. The following week against Army Ezeiruaku had five total tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. The Eagles finished with a upset win in the Fenway Bowl against the No. 24 SMU Mustangs.
2024 season
To start the season, the Eagles upset the No. 10
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 20-yard shuttle |
Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) |
248 lb (112 kg) |
34 in (0.86 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
4.19 s | 6.94 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) |
9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) |
22 reps | ||||
| All values from | ||||||||||||
Ezeiruaku was selected with the 44th pick in the 2025 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys.[16]
References
- ^ Brugler, Dane. "The Beast: 2025 NFL Draft Guide" (PDF). The Athletic. p. 275. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
- ^ Globe, The Boston (December 5, 2024). "Boston College defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku has worked his way into the program annals". Boston.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ "Donovan Ezeiruaku". Boston College Eagles. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ Black, A.J. (June 7, 2020). "'21 Defensive End Donovan Ezeiruaku Commits to Boston College". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ "Donovan Ezeiruaku 2021 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ Haskins, Jason (September 4, 2022). "Boston College Eagles: 3 takeaways from painful loss to Rutgers". Chowder and Champions. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ Haskins, Jason (November 5, 2022). "Boston College Eagles: 3 takeaways in close loss to Duke". Chowder and Champions. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ Hass, Trevor (November 27, 2022). "Boston College falters late in season finale, loses to Syracuse". Boston.com. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ Haskins, Jason (December 4, 2022). "Boston College Eagles: 3 standouts in 2022 season". Chowder and Champions. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ "Donovan Ezeiruaku 2022 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ "Clemson Leads With 12 Selection to All-ACC Football Teams". Atlantic Coast Conference. November 29, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ Black, AJ. "Ezeiruaku, Mahogany Named to Preseason All ACC team". 247Sports. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ Ezeiruaku, Donovan (December 21, 2024). "Ted Hendricks Award". Ted Hendricks. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
- ^ "Donovan Ezeiruaku Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ "Donovan Ezeiruaku College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ Walker, Patrik. "2025 NFL Draft: Donovan Ezeiruaku to Cowboys as 2nd-Round Pick". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.