Donovan Ezeiruaku has had quite the training camp so far.
Edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku has been one of the rookies for the Dallas Cowboys who has gotten the most buzz since he was taken in the second round. It’s not hard to see why seeing as the former Boston College Eagle comes into the NFL with arguably the best pass rush skill set coming out of the collegiate ranks.
Training camp is here for the Cowboys and they have taken the field for several practices in Oxnard, California. Ezeiruaku spoke after practice on Saturday and expressed how things have gone up until this point.
I think camp is going really well. I’ve been ready (to put the pads on) since they called my name on draft night.
Ezeiruaku is showing exactly why the Cowboys snagged him with the 44th overall pick. His quick step off the line scrimmage has been amazing to watch, and his ability to adjust after his initial move doesn’t work to get to the quarterback has also been impressive.
It has led to Ezeiruaku causing some havoc with a lot of pressures in practice and being one of the stars of training camp so far. It also makes the potential for the overall edge group look extremely promising with All-Pro Micah Parsons, Dante Fowler, Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, and possibly veteran James Houston who recently signed to the Cowboys in the mix.
I think the sky is the limit for this (DE) group. We got talent. God-willing, we stay healthy.
In 2024, Ezeiruaku was a menace. He finished with 16.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss which led to him being named a Consensus All-American, first-team All-ACC, the Defensive Player of the Year for the conference, and the winner of the Ted Hendricks Award which is annually given to the top edge rusher in college.
Now that Ezeiruaku is a pro, things will be harder in terms of not just the speed of the game but the level of competition he’ll receive from NFL offensive linemen. The Cowboys will give the keys to the defense to Matt Eberflus in 2025, and his philosophy is to get pressure with four men and play a ton of zone coverage. Ezeiruaku has picked up those principles quickly, and he explained why his adjustment to the pro level has been so smooth.
It’s not a lot of thinking. Some coaches can overcomplicate things sometimes. (In this defense), there’s not a lot of thinking. We’re going straight and we’re attacking the ball.
Speaking of getting to ball, Ezeiruaku and the entire edge group have made things very competitive in practice. In particular, Ezeiruaku and Fowler had a nice one-on-one battle going in Saturday’s practice.
Yeah, we’re competing every day. We just had a two-minute period [today] and the first thing Dante said to me was, ‘I’ll meet you back there.’ I said, ‘No, I’m going to get there first.’ And then the first play, I got back there so I asked, ‘Where you at?’
We’ve got this point system going on in the D-line room, and we’re going back and forth. And myself and Dante, we’re on the [first] team, so we’re competing against each other to see who’s going to get back. We’re competing against the other side of the defensive line room as well.
The anticipation of what Ezeiruaku would look like in the NFL has been high since his name was called in April’s draft, and he’s turning heads already.
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones on rookie DE Donovan Ezeiruaku, who has stood out early in camp: “I give (def. line coach Aaron Whitecotton) credit. He was on the table for him at (Pick 12 in the first round). He was jumping up and down saying this guy is the 12th pick, let’s get him.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 27, 2025