From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Eastern Kentucky OT Josiah Ezirim.
#7 JOSIAH EZIRIM/OT EASTERN KENTUCKY – 6056, 329 POUNDS (SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Josiah Ezirim | 6056/329* | 10 3/4″* | 35 3/4″* | 85 1/8″* |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | 28* |
*Pro Day Measurement
THE GOOD
– Thick, naturally powerful frame with incredible length and wingspan
– Surprisingly agile and rangy on the move led to him being heavily featured in the run game as a lane-creating puller
– Good lateral quickness to create movement at the second level
– Can recover if he’s beaten due to quick feet and long arms
– Has vice grips and huge hands to use as a survival technique if he starts to lose the rep
– Uncorks on defenders with jarring force to uproot and displace on contact
– Has flashes of patience and processing to quickly sort out dual reads and post-snap movement
– Puts dents in defenders on double-team bumps and feeds to create lateral displacement
– Brings a physical, tone-setting demeanor to the field with excellent snap-to-snap effort
THE BAD
– Has an overaggressive, wild element to his game with a propensity to throw haymakers, which leads to lunging and shaky body control
– Struggles on frontside kick-out and backside hinge blocks to line up, connect and seal off his target
– Lacking the fluidity in his pass sets to expand his landmarks and protect the corner against high-side rushes from wide alignments
– Doesn’t slide his feet quickly enough for speed rushers in pass protection
– Body control is inconsistent in his pass sets
– Plays with too high of a pad level
– Will need to improve his core strength to anchor better
– Lower-body mass and power needs work
BIO
– 1,390 RT snaps, one snap at LG, and 82 defensive line snaps
– 183 special teams snaps (162 FG kick, 16 FG block, 3 punt return)
– 19 starts at RT, played in nine games as a DL (2019-20), and appeared in 32 total games
– 2023 season: 13 pressures allowed, zero QB hits allowed, zero sacks allowed
– Pro Football Focus grades: 84.3 run block (86.5 zone, 66.0 gap), 80.1 pass block (75.1 true pass set block)
– 1 pressure, one tackle (two assists), zero sacks as defensive tackle in 2019-2020 seasons
– 2024 Shrine Bowl participant
– 2023 third-team FCS All-American
– 2023 first-team All-UAC
– 2022 Phil Steele fourth-team All-ASUN
– 2019 three-star defensive end recruit from Hilliard Davidson High School in Hilliard, Ohio
– He had 67 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble in his senior season
– His father (Josiah) played soccer at Ohio State University
– Missed two games in 2019, three games in 2020, and six games in 2021 due to various injuries
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Josiah Ezirim has had an interesting path to the 2024 NFL Draft. He transitioned from playing on the defensive line in high school and then in his first two seasons at Eastern Kentucky to right tackle full-time. He expressed in interviews that it was a change for him body-wise and physically to change into a more fleet-footed offensive lineman who could get out in space and function on an island. He gained almost 40 pounds of mass in his senior year to achieve this, and it shows, especially in his lower body where he was very thin for his position. Ezirim has the motor that teams look for in an offensive lineman and plays to the whistle on almost every snap. He dominated the competition at the FCS level this past season and really came into his own as a run and pass blocker.
He’s much more adept at run blocking and knowing how to use his natural leverage and upper-body power to move guys. As a run blocker, Ezirim is a mauler who excels at angle blocking guys on inside zone runs where his athletic abilities are able to be utilized. Here is a perfect example of an inside zone run where not only does he get jammed from his high pad level but continues to battle and drive his man backwards to move the line forward. Ezirim is a fighter in the run game and prides himself on never giving up on a play.
Ezirim is the RT for Eastern Kentucky, #75, in all of the following clips:
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 3, 2024
He is very nimble for a guy his size and gets out in space well. Here you can see him pass off the initial defender to find work farther up the field. In the second clip he pulls and gets up the field to the second level.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 3, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 3, 2024
He has good grip strength to latch on and not let go of guys. His size and strength seal run lanes and collapse the defensive line on down blocks. He still doesn’t quite look comfortable in moments where he’s a puller, but it looked much better this past season. He relies heavily on making first contact with a defender to generate momentum. If he doesn’t, his feet can be halted as he tries to shed defenders instead of continuing to drive them.
In his pass-protection sets, his hand carriage improved this past season as he was staying inside more, but he still allows defenders to make first contact with his chest too often. His strike timing needs to get better so that he’s able to use his great wingspan to manipulate defenders and keep them at arm’s length. Ezirim is able to absorb pretty significant power moves (long arm and bull rush) when facing bigger defenders and also anchor well. You can see that here when he takes on one of the best defensive linemen in the country, Deone Walker #0 of Kentucky, and more than holds his own. A guy who is listed at 6-6, 348 pounds.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 3, 2024
When his pad level gets too high, he tends to lean on guys instead of using his arms to clamp and drive them. His initial kick step and slide got much better as this past season went along, but they are still inconsistent. He will give up his outside shoulder too often but has the agility to recover. There were times in the Cincinnati game this past season where he struggled with guys who used counters and inside moves to get around him quickly.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 3, 2024
Ezirim has good independent hand usage and has surprisingly good balance when switching up. He showcases his strong upper body when he gets into the defender’s frame. He has good awareness of stunts and blitzes, and his experience playing on the defensive line shows. Ezirim works well in tandem on redirecting guys and implementing combo blocks on rushers from the B gap.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 3, 2024
CONCLUSION
Overall, Ezirim has the physical tools and demeanor of a potential backup to stay at right tackle or play on the interior in an inside zone run scheme while needing significant technical refinement to improve body control and harness his power. This gives him starting potential down the road with value as a late Day 3 dart throw in the right situation (scheme, coaching staff).
For a pro comparison, Joshua Miles is a name that came to mind as a guy who went to a small school (Morgan State) and had great length and athletic promise coming into the NFL. Ezirim has the potential to be a backup swing tackle or guard at the next level just with his athleticism and length alone. But in order for him to be a future starter, a team will need lots of patience and time to develop the other areas of his game that need improvement. There are just only so many offensive linemen with his athleticism and length, plus he’s very green in terms of snap experience at the position playing at his current weight. Teams in the later part of the draft that are willing to take a chance on a true ball of clay in Ezirim may be interested in the right tackle.
Projection: Late Day 3/UDFA
Depot Draft Grade: 6.0 – Backup/Special Teamer (Priority Free Agent)
Games Watched: at Kentucky (2023), at Cincinnati (2023), at Eastern Michigan (2022), vs Gardner-Webb (2022)
