Ezekiel Ansah Youtube clip

[Dee Dub]

This guy is raw no doubt but I can think of a lot of other words that describe him as well. Disruptive. Quick. Tenacious. Strong. Resilient. Versatile. He played all over the D-front for BYU this past year. Take a look at this clip. Especially the following plays....

1:43 standing up off the edge. OLB/DE. Sack.

2:46 being double teamed by the LT and LG. Never gives up on the play and breaks through for the sack.

3:56 1st down and goal. Shoots through the gap, comes down the line and makes the tackle for loss.

4:00 2nd and goal (the very next play on the same goal-line drive), manages to get through the gap again (this time being held), and yet trips up the back for a tackle for loss.

8:15 standing up inside at DT, he then drops into coverage on a swing pass out to the flat and closes in on the RB and makes the tackle. Tremendous instincts and closing speed.

This guy has played football all of 3 years. This past year was the very first time he ever started. He is going to continue to improve. He has a chance to be a major force in the NFL. I would love to see him off the edge in a 3-4.

[jj28west]

Granted it was not Alabama's Oline but the guy is all over the place! Thanks for the clip.

[papillon]

It looks like he'll be a good pro, but in how many years? And, do the Steelers have the time to wait? Or, do they need someone to step in immediately and contribute this year at whatever position they draft? I'd love him in the second round, probably won't be there, but I'd rather the Steelers draft someone they think will help in 2013, similar to what they thought when they drafted DeCastro.

Pappy

[Mister Pittsburgh]

Maybe I am totally off on this guy....but I get a bad Zo Jackson vibe from him.

[Dee Dub]

Maybe I am totally off on this guy....but I get a bad Zo Jackson vibe from him.

Not even close. Jackson was a 4-3 DE and not a very good one. Ansah can play all positions along the Defensive front. And the amazing thing about that is at 272 lbs he is giving up 30-50 lbs against these O-lineman he is going up against. That means this cat is extremely strong. Powerful hands. Combine that with his quickness and you are looking at a flat out freak. When you watch this clip look at how well he gets off these block of these bigger O-lineman.

And I go back to the idea of him coming off the edge as a 3-4 OLB where he isn't get doubled by a T/G or Center. Scary.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

I guess I just see Zo at 6'4" 265lbs coming out, one year experience under his belt, and see similarities. Like I said, just the build and size and experience seem the same but I haven't seen this dude play other then your provided youtube clip.

[BigRob]

Not even close. Jackson was a 4-3 DE and not a very good one. Ansah can play all positions along the Defensive front. And the amazing thing about that is at 272 lbs he is giving up 30-50 lbs against these O-lineman he is going up against. That means this cat is extremely strong. Powerful hands. Combine that with his quickness and you are looking at a flat out freak. When you watch this clip look at how well he gets off these block of these bigger O-lineman.

And I go back to the idea of him coming off the edge as a 3-4 OLB where he isn't get doubled by a T/G or Center. Scary.

Zo Jackson comparisons way off. Athletically he is closer to Jean Pierre Paul than Jackson. He's going to do well in the agility drills at the combine and will likely run in the lo 4.6's in the forty.

Age at 24 years old and 3 years of football is a bigger concern to me. He might be 27 before he reaches his full potential.

[Dee Dub]

Zo Jackson comparisons way off. Athletically he is closer to Jean Pierre Paul than Jackson. He's going to do well in the agility drills at the combine and will likely run in the lo 4.6's in the forty.

Age at 24 years old and 3 years of football is a bigger concern to me. He might be 27 before he reaches his full potential.

I dont think it will take that long. I think he is a lot closer than that. His athleticism is off the charts. That alone could carry him very far. Look at how well he improved from last year to this year. Major acceleration. He just needs to learn a little more and he is going to be a beast.

[Dee Dub]

Zo Jackson comparisons way off. Athletically he is closer to Jean Pierre Paul than Jackson. He's going to do well in the agility drills at the combine and will likely run in the lo 4.6's in the forty.

Age at 24 years old and 3 years of football is a bigger concern to me. He might be 27 before he reaches his full potential.

By the way, where do you see him as 24 years old? I have read that his birthday is Jan. 1991. That would make him 22.

[Dee Dub]

For all the coaching that Ansah still needs, one thing that cannot be coached/taught is speed. This guy ran a 10.91 100 meters. When he does reach his peak potential everyone is going be saying "There were 16 guys drafted ahead of him?....are you kidding me?!"

[BigRob]

By the way, where do you see him as 24 years old? I have read that his birthday is Jan. 1991. That would make him 22.

Senior Bowl reports. Dane Brugler reported his birthday is actually 05/29/1989.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Don't think the extra two years will hurt him...after all, he doesn't have much football wear-and-tear on his body. We badly need an OLB, since Harrison is likely gone and Woodley can't be counted upon...

[Dee Dub]

Don't think the extra two years will hurt him...after all, he doesn't have much football wear-and-tear on his body. We badly need an OLB, since Harrison is likely gone and Woodley can't be counted upon...

Agreed! And the Steelers have never rushed their DE to OLB conversion players. They will have no problem drafting him if he is the BPA on their board regardless of whether or not they will get an immediate return. This dude has Beast Mode potential. And If all comes together we could be looking back later at the best player in this draft.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

In this video from the ND - BYU game he looks like an active player, drawing some double teams here and there, but he spends quite a bit of time locked up one on one with a lone OT. Maybe this is simply due to his inexperience with the game and he will get better with coaching, but do we really want to drop the 17th pick in the draft on a guy that may need 2 or 3 years of development when we have so many immediate needs? I know the saying is you draft BPA but I'm pretty sure we can find a damn near day one starter at a greater position of need at 17. Just my thoughts.

[URL]http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=MFYELG3ItAk&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMFY ELG3ItAk[/URL]

[papillon]

In this video from the ND - BYU game he looks like an active player, drawing some double teams here and there, but he spends quite a bit of time locked up one on one with a lone OT. Maybe this is simply do to his inexperience with the game and he will get better with coaching, but do we really want to drop the 17th pick in the draft on a guy that may need 2 or 3 years of development when we have so many immediate needs? I know the saying is you draft BPA but I'm pretty sure we can find a damn near day one starter at a greater position of need at 17. Just my thoughts.

Yea, that's what I was thinking, there will be a player available that will probably start or at least see significant playing time next year for the Steelers, one of the defensive tackles, Warmack, Ogletree, Patterson, Te'o, or Minter. I just don't see drafting a project with a lot of day one ready to go players probably being available.

Pappy