Cowboys may have stumbled into a superstar as a second-round pick angles toward starting

The Dallas Cowboys needed help at defensive end for the 2025 season. Facing the loss of long-time starter and multiple-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence, the team needed reinforcements. The club had drafted the position, highly, but had yet to reap any dominating rewards. So when the opportunity presented itself to secure themselves the potential steal of the 2025 draft, they jumped on it

Dallas secured the services of perhaps the best pass-rushing defensive end of the draft when they drafted Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku. But pre-draft accolades don’t matter if it doesn’t manifest itself on a pro field, and while training camp isn’t the real thing, what Ezeiruaku has shown in Oxnard has a lot of people extremely excited.

Rundown

Position: Defensive End

Age: 21

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 248 pounds

Hometown: Williamstown, NJ

High School: Williamstown

College: Boston College (Highlights)

Draft: 2025 Second Round (No. 44 overall)

Acquired: 2025 draft

Contract: Four-year contract (2025), $10.2 million

2025 Base Salary: $840,000, $1.85 million cap hit

Profile

Cowboys may have stumbled into a superstar as a second-round pick angles toward starting — Jul 26, 2025; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku (41) at training camp at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With Micah Parsons not participating in practice due to his contract dispute, Ezeiruaku has been declaring himself as a true force to reckon with. Lining up primarily as a left defensive end, Ezeiruaku has shown a complex rush attack that is far beyond his years. He’s also displayed the ability to set the edge, looking like he’s ready to take on a starting role sooner rather than later.

Dallas brought back Dante Fowler, who left for a season in Washington, and the expectation was that he’d be starting opposite Parsons, but that may not be the case and if it is may not be for long. The Cowboys also signed Payton Turner, a former first-round pick like Fowler, as veteran depth. They join last year’s second rounder Marshawn Kneeland as Parsons’ supporting cast. That’s before mentioning 2022 second-round pick Sam Williams, who is looking to return from an ACL injury.

Together, the Cowboys have assembled a tremendously pedigreed group at defensive end, but Ezeiruaku looks like a potential breakout star amongst the room.

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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Dallas Cowboys player profile: No. 31 DE Donovan Ezeiruaku