The 2024 ACC Defensive Player of the Year who tied Boston College's single-season sack record before Dallas took him in the second round.
Donovan Ezeiruaku arrived in Dallas as the No. 44 overall pick in the 2025 draft after a senior season at Boston College that made him one of the most decorated edge rushers in the country. A Philadelphia native who grew up rooting for the Eagles, he ended up teasing them by falling to a division rival instead.
Path to the league
Ezeiruaku played four seasons at Boston College, appearing in 43 games with 196 total tackles, 40.5 tackles for loss and 28 sacks. His senior year alone produced 80 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks, a total that tied the program's single-season sack record and led the nation in sacks per game. Dallas selected him in the second round, No. 44 overall, in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
That senior season earned Ezeiruaku Consensus First-Team All-American honors, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, the Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end, the Bulger Lowe Award and the New England Football Writers' Gold Helmet Award. He entered the league as one of the most accomplished pass rushers in Boston College history.
2025 season recap
As a rookie, Ezeiruaku played all 17 games and finished with 40 tackles, two official sacks and nine tackles for loss, while generating 26 quarterback pressures and 12 quarterback hits. His role expanded after Dallas traded Micah Parsons, and while the sack total stayed modest, his pressure numbers marked him as one of the Cowboys' better draft hits of the class.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Donovan Ezeiruaku
- ESPN: Donovan Ezeiruaku
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | cowboys | 17 | 40 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Boston College
- Hometown
- Williamstown, NJ, USA
- Age
- 22
- Status
- active
