BYU defensive end Ezekiel Ansah nearly didn't run the 40-yard dash Monday at the 2013 NFL Combine, according to NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah. At the last second, the 6'5, 271-pounder decided to run and posted a 4.63, in what Jeremiah called "the smartest decision of the day." Ansah proceeded to shine while participating in linebacker drills. Jeremiah was impressed.
NFL Draft 2013: BYU’s Ziggy Ansah called top-15 selection
BYU defensive end Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah helped his NFL Draft stock in a big way during the 2013 NFL Combine.
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After a dominating Senior Bowl game and his performance here, I will be very surprised if he isn’t selected in the top 15 of the upcoming draft.
SB Nation’s Dan Kadar predicted the big rise for Ansah before the combine began. The impressive background doesn’t hurt. Ansah didn’t touch a football until two years ago, coming from Ghana. More importantly, according to Kadar, Ansah is a physical specimen.
NFL teams will take note of his on-field performance. How high would Ansah rise if he runs a 4.5-second 40-yard dash at 274 pounds? It’s possible. If you thought the buzz around Ansah was high after he stole the Senior Bowl game, it could be overwhelming a week from now. He could go from being picked in the teens to the top 10.
Ansah didn't run in the 4.5-range, but he did finish with the sixth-fastest time among defensive linemen. According to Matthew Fairburn's latest mock draft, the performance was good enough to earn him the No. 5 overall pick by the Detroit Lions. We will see if the projections hold true, but Ansah certainly didn't hurt his stock during his time in Indianapolis.
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