The Dallas Cowboys have completed their first three practices of training camp, and they are now off on Friday for a break. Dallas is gearing up for padded practices and a camp that Brian Schottenheimer promises will be physical. That’s been the case for the first few practices, as multiple scuffles have already broken out.
While we shouldn’t overreact to three non-padded practices, there has already been a clear winner from the outings. And that player is none other than second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku. He’s arguably been the best defensive player in the three practices so far and has had success beating every single offensive lineman he has faced.
During Wednesday's practice, Ezeiruaku recorded at least two sacks during the 11-on-11 period, and there was another that would have been close. And then on Thursday, he was even better, recording multiple sacks against Tyler Guyton. Here is one snap where he beat Guyton off the line of scrimmage for a clean win (h/t to Jon Machota of The Athletic).
Malik Hooker INT 👀 pic.twitter.com/QY3M52RHHt
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 24, 2025
Cowboys rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku has been unstoppable in training camp
Before you get too concerned about Guyton, just know that Ezeiruaku has given everyone problems at practice. He's been too quick for the guards, and he has several different moves in his toolbox for the offensive tackles. And that's what makes Ezeiruaku so unique. He can win in a variety of ways, and he has no problem moving all around the defensive line to hunt the best matchups.
The Cowboys stole Ezeiruaku in the second round, and that is already very evident on the practice field. Ezeiruaku was the No. 29 player on the consensus big board and there were several NFL Draft experts who ranked him as a top-20 player and it’s not hard to see why.
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He is an incredibly polished pass rusher with long arms and a fantastic first step, which allowed him to be one of the nation’s most productive defensive ends.
Time will tell what type of role Ezeiruaku will have for the Cowboys this year, but he might be too talented to keep off the field. There is a good chance that he could surpass Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, and Dant’e Fowler on the depth chart and become the team’s top pass rusher outside of Micah Parsons.
While you never want to overreact too much by the first week of camp, it appears the Cowboys have already unearthed a gem in Round 2. It won’t be long before we are having discussions about Ezeiruaku and if he ultimately becomes the biggest steal of the 2025 NFL Draft. That’s the type of upside he has as a pass rusher.