Cowboys Second Round Pick Called 'Dark Horse Candidate' For NFL Defensive ROY

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Dallas Cowboys rookie edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku.

Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons has been a one man wrecking crew through his first 4 NFL seasons.

No matter who lines up against him, or around him, Parsons gets to the quarterback like few players in NFL history have to start off their careers.

Now, imagine if he had some help. Imagine if he had a Robin to his Batman.

What wondrous heights could Parsons reach if that were the case?

We might find out in 2025 after the Cowboys seemed to get first round talent in the second round after Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku dropped to them with the No. 44 overall pick.

Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski thinks the pairing of Ezeiruaku and Parsons could lead to the rookie becoming one of the NFL’s best first year players on defense — and a possible Dark Horse candidate for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

“The 21-year-old will have the chance to fully capitalize on opponents being distracted by Micah Parsons at all times, which should create plenty of opportunities for Ezeiruaku to win one-on-one matchups,” Sobleski wrote on July 4. “Thus, he could create a significant impact from Day 1.”

Ezeiruaku’s Size Likely Dropped Him To 2nd Round

If we are looking for why a player as dominant as Ezeiruaku was at Boston College would drop to the second round, it’s likely because of his size. At 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds, he’s 1-2 inches short and about 10-20 pounds lighter than a typical edge rusher who gets picked in the first round.

“Ezeiruaku uses every bit of his length paired with aggression to mitigate size differences at the point of attack,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. ” … 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. Ezeiruaku’s play demeanor, skill and athletic talent are the underpinnings of a productive starter with three-down value.”

Ezeiruaku finished his college career with 28.0 sacks over 4 seasons but saved his best for last. Ezeiruaku kicked off his senior season in 2024 with 2.0 sacks in an upset win over No. 10 Florida State in Ireland He finished the year with 80 tackles, 3 forced fumbles and was second in the nation with 16.5 sacks and third in the nation with 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.

Cowboys Brought Fowler Back From NFC East Rival

The Cowboys haven’t put all of their eggs in Ezeiruaku’s basket in terms of finding a complementary edge rusher to play opposite Parsons.

One move Dallas made in the offseason that went largely unnoticed was bringing back edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. on a 1-year, $6 million contract after he led the Washington Commanders with 11.0 sacks in 2024.

Fowler, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, played for the Cowboys in 2022 and 2023 under current Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, who was the Dallas defensive coordinator those years. Fowler had 10.0 sacks in 2 seasons with Dallas while he played in all 34 regular season games with zero starts.

Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame