Feb 25, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Brigham Young Cougars defensive lineman Ezekiel Ansah participates in a defensive drill during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Height: 6’5″

Weight:  271 pounds

Position Rank: 3

Drafted By: Detroit Lions (1st round, 5th overall)

40 Yard Dash:  4.63

Bench Press:  21

Vertical Jump:  34.5″

Broad Jump:  118″

2012 Stats

Career Highlights (BYU Athletic Site)

2012 | Senior Year

Earned letterman honors … played in all 13 games and started nine at defensive end … named a Pro Football Weekly All-America honorable mention, Phil Steele and FBS All-Independent First Team … totaled 62 tackles including 13 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks … also had one interception, forced one fumble, had six quarterback hurries and nine pass breakups … burst onto the scene vs. Boise State, snuffing out a fake punt and had eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one pass breakup … had three tackles for loss vs. Utah State including two sacks … recorded a sack vs. Georgia Tech to go along with eight tackles … finished the bowl game with an interception and five tackles

2011 | Junior Year

Earned letterman honors … played in 12 games on special teams and outside linebacker … totaled seven tackles, including three solo, on the season … also had a quarterback hurry … season-best two tackles vs. Idaho

Scouting Report/Player Notes

Ezekiel Ansah is one of the bigger “boom or bust” potential picks in this year’s NFL Draft. He has only been playing football for a few years, but he has freakish size and raw athletic ability that have NFL scouts drooling. You can see in his dimensions (6’5″ 271) and speed (4.63) that he has the overall look of a dominant defensive end or hybrid linebacker in the NFL, and he is likely destined to be a top 10 selection in April. Ansah obviously needs to be coached up in the NFL, but he is athletic enough that he could surprise some people and have double-digit sacks as a rookie if he puts enough work in. He’s strong (21 reps on bench) and quick off the ball, but he’s not even scratched the surface of his immense potential. He flashes his quickness and speed when you watch him in-game, and he can play sideline to sideline really well which is why I think he’s likely to go to a team that primarily operates out of a 3-4 alignment. When you combine his length and overall upper body strength, he creates problems all over the defensive line. BYU was able to line him up over the nose, as a base end in a 3-4, as well as standing up as a rush linebacker. I think he has the potential to be one of the better picks in this year’s draft if he puts the work in. Otherwise, he’ll just be another athletic track guy who couldn’t hack it with the big boys.

Video Highlights (via YouTube)

Sept. 8, 2012; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver Cody Hoffman (2) heads down field against the Weber State Wildcats during the first quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas C. Pizac-USA TODAY Sports

Height:  6’4″

Weight:  215 pounds

Position Rank:

Drafted By:

40 Yard Dash:  N/A

Bench Press:  N/A

Vertical Jump:  N/A

Broad Jump:  N/A

20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Career Stats

Scouting Report/Player Notes

Video Highlights (via YouTube)

This is our Matt Reynolds scouting report. Reynolds is an experienced OL for the BYU Cougars who’s draft stock is all over the map. Some view him as a really nice RT prospect in the N.F.L. that should be gone early on day two, others view him as a day early day three prospect who can’t start in the N.F.L.

Read on to find out what Reggie thinks. And be sure to check out all of our other scouting reports on our scouting report page

Measurables

6’5″, 302 pounds, 33.25″ long arms, 9 5/9″ hands

5.37 second forty yard dash, 25 bench press reps

Pros:

Mirrors defenders well

Has great work ethic

Blocks until the whistle

Handles Bull Rushes very well

Smart player

Has transformed a lot of fat into muscle this season

Good size

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Is The Mormon Mission The Best Kept Secret In College Football?

Watching explosive skill players and large-bodied linemen suiting up each Saturday during the college football season, we as fans and media often forget that the majority of these players are merely teenage boys or young men not yet old enough to legally drink.

That is not necessarily the case in the state of Utah, or on the campus of Brigham Young University in particular. Many people outside the BYU program and outside the Mormon faith feel that the Cougars have for many years benefitted tremendously from a staggering age difference in their football players versus the age of their opponents each season. The University of Utah has historically featured far fewer players of the Mormon faith than their counterparts at BYU, and are more open to discussing the age and background of their student-athletes.

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Top Games

This week has quite a few interesting games on the schedule:

Oregon visits Tennessee in what should be quite a bit tougher for the Ducks than the 72-0 thrashing they put on New Mexico last week. LaMichael James is back from suspension this week for Oregon.  This is the first ever meeting between the 2 schools….BYU travels to Air Force to kickoff the Mountain West Conference season.  Will this be the last time these 2 play as conference rivals?….Georgia travels to South Carolina in what should be an extremely entertaining game.  Will the AJ Green drama distract the Bulldogs or will they use it to come together.  South Carolina looked very good in week one, shutting down DeAndre Brown and the So Miss offense….Stanford  travels to UCLA in a Pac 10 battle.  After getting humiliated by Daniel Thomas and the K-State rush offense, how will the Bruins handle Andrew Luck and The Cardinal passing attack?  The Bruins should be able to move the ball though….Iowa State and Iowa square off in the annual rivalry game, but it won’t be much of a contest.  Iowa State does have a pretty good QB in Austen Arnaud and one of my favorite Head Coaches in Paul Rhoads, but that is about it.  Look for Iowa to roll in this game….Miami  travels to Ohio State in a huge early season matchup.  The Buckeyes haven’t seen a team as athletic as the Hurricanes in a long time, how will they adjust?  Jacory Harris is Terrelle Pryor Lite in my opinion.  This game also features 2 stud defensive lineman in Allen Bailey of Miami and Cameron Heyward of Ohio State, keep your eye on these 2 chasing down the athletic QBs….Georgia Tech travels to Kansas in a game that should be a cakewalk for the Yellow Jackets.  The Jayhawks lost to North Dakota State last weekend 6-3 and decided to make a qb change this week rolling with redshirt freshman Jordan Webb.  GaTech runs the triple option as good as anybody with Josh Nesbitt at the helm….Michigan travels to Notre Dame for a matchup that got much more interesting after last weekend.  Wolverine QB Denard Robinson was incredible last saturday on the ground and thru the air, racking up nearly 400 yards.  Are the comparisons to Pat White justified yet? The Fighting Irish have their hands full, but they have weapons to throw to in Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph….Penn State heads south to Alabama for a big time matchup.  Nittany Lions QB Rob Bolden had a great debut last week, but playing Youngstown State at home and traveling to Alabama are exact opposites.  There is no possible way Roll Tide Roll loses this game, it shouldn’t even be close….Florida State heads to Oklahoma in a battle of brothers and big time prospects. I have a feeling Big brother Bob Stoops is going to put it on his brother Mark(FSU D Coordinator) and he won’t let up.  Ryan Broyles of the Sooners and Greg Reid of the Seminoles are two of the most dynamic playmakers in the game, don’t blink.  Travis Lewis and Jeremy Beal of the Sooner defense have the ability to take over the game, but so does FSU QB Christian Ponder.