South Jersey’s Donovan Ezeiruaku is drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in NFL draft’s second round
Ezeiruaku, a South Jersey native, gives the Cowboys another talented pass rusher. Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr. was drafted by the Titans in the third round.
Donovan Ezeiruaku, the South Jersey native and former Williamstown High School star, was drafted 44th by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft.
The 6-foot-2, 248 pound Boston College standout finished the 2024 season with the second-most sacks in the Football Subdivision with 16½. While he’s known as a speed pass rusher, Ezeiruaku displayed some of the power he possesses on speed-to-power conversions.
After a disappointing 2023 season, the toolsy pass rusher added a lengthy list of accolades to his name after a dominant 2024: Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Boston College’s 13th consensus All-American with first-team honors, and winning the Ted Hendricks Award as college football’s top defensive end.
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Before attending Boston College, Ezeiruaku was a three-star football recruit at Williamstown and a multisport athlete. In addition to football, he was also a track athlete, competing in the discus, shot put, long jump, and triple jump events.
Ezeiruaku had received some late first-round buzz in the lead-up to Thursday night, but ultimately slid to Day 2. He was among the standouts at the Senior Bowl earlier this year, and left a strong impression on team evaluators with his performance.
“You’re going to get a defensive end, outside linebacker, edge rusher that can be on the field all four downs. I pride myself in stopping the run game and I know I can pass rush,” Ezeiruaku said at the Senior Bowl in January. “That’s also why I came out here this past week as well. Just put a little bit more emphasis on stopping the run.”
He joined Jihaad Campbell, who was drafted by the Eagles on Thursday night, as the second South Jersey native to be selected in the draft. The pair will be NFC East division rivals.
Penn State’s Winston joins Titans
Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr., who missed all but three games last season with a partially torn ACL, was drafted by the Tennessee Titans at No. 82 in the third round round of the draft.
Winston, who had garnered some interest from the Eagles in the predraft process, splashed on the scene with the Nittany Lions in 2023, finishing with 61 tackles (2½ for loss), one interception, and five pass breakups. At 6-1, 215 pounds, he has good explosiveness and reactionary instincts, flying downhill as a run defender and taking away routes in the flat.
He became the third Penn State player selected in the draft, joining North Philly’s Abdul Carter (Giants) and tight end Tyler Warren (Colts).