It’s been hard to find bright spots on the Dallas Cowboys defense in 2025. It’s what happens when you’re ranked 31st out of 32 NFL teams in total defense.
If there is one bright spot, however, it’s been rookie edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, a 2025 second round pick (No. 44 overall) out of Boston College who is tied for the NFL lead for rookies with 3.0 sacks through his first 9 games.
“Donovan Ezeiruaku is suddenly the league’s top rookie pass rusher,” Pro Football Focus reporter Ryan Smith wrote. “A couple of impressive weeks vault the Cowboys edge defender past Abdul Carter for the top PFF pass-rush grade among first-year players.”
With a couple of key additions on defense at the NFL trade deadline this week, Ezeiruaku might take the final 8 games of the regular season and establish himself as an actual NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate — if his teammates can keep up.
Ezeiruaku Continues to Impress as Cowboys Struggle
Ezeiruaku, 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds, has seemed to only pick up steam as the season has gone along — and people are taking notice.
“Donovan Ezeiruaku’s stat rankings among rookies: T-1st in Sacks (3), 2nd in TFLs (6), T-1st in FF’s (1),” Cowboys Muse wrote on its official X account. “And we got him in the 2nd round.”
“Donovan Ezeiruaku has been having one of the best seasons of ANY defensive rookie this year,” Locked on Cowboys podcast host Marcus Mosher wrote on his official X account.
“Donovan Ezeiruaku’s ascent has been insane … he’ll be a DROY candidate at this rate,” NFL Draft Files wrote on its official X account.
“Donovan Ezeiruaku was one of the best value picks of the draft compared to the consensus board,” The Athletic’s Austin Mock wrote on his official X account. “He’s been proving it the last few weeks.”
Cowboys Got First Round Value in Second Round
Ezeiruaku was projected on plenty of draft boards as a first round pick but slipped to the second round over concerns about his size — he’s a few inches shorter and 10-20 pounds lighter than the “ideal” size for NFL edge rushers.
Ezeiruaku finished his college career with 28.0 sacks over 4 seasons and led the nation with 16.5 sacks in 2024 to go with 80 tackles, 3 forced fumbles and 20 TFL. He was also named ACC Defensive Player of the Year, All-American and won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top collegiate defensive end.
” … His hands exploit small advantages to turn them into big ones and he has a variety of ways to challenge protection, though he’s still learning to craft his plans,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “Ezeiruaku’s play demeanor, skill and athletic talent are the underpinnings of a productive starter with three-down value.”
The sky might be the limit for Ezeiruaku the rest of the way with 2 recent additions by the Cowboys at the NFL trade deadline, with moves to bring in NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and inside linebacker Logan Wilson.
“Ezeiruaku is the 2nd-highest rated EDGE by NGS overall draft score (83) and NGS production score (87) in this year’s class,” Next Gen Stats wrote on its official X account after the draft. “He will join a Cowboys defense that generated the 4th-highest pressure rate in the NFL last season (37.1%).”
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