The word on Ezukanma from his college coach. And feedback on Dolphins’ 3 rookie receivers
An NFL scout texted me after the draft to convey that the Dolphins got a very good player in Texas Tech receiver Erik Ezukanma, who was selected in the fourth round.
His college wide receivers coach agrees.
“I gave him a late second-round grade,” the scout said. “He’s not the most talented in terms of athletic skills. He tested out well at the Combine. I think this kid is a really good player. Really good hands, tough, he blocks, runs well after the catch. Makes a lot of contested catches, aggressive and tough. He’s a really good player. If you want someone to run by the corner, that’s not him. But he will fight you for it. I like his chances.”
Joel Filani, Ezukanma’s wide receivers coach at Texas Tech, agrees. Now working in the same position at Washington State, Filani sized up Ezukanma in a phone conversation last week:
“He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands,” Filani said. “When the ball is in his hands, he’s looking to make guys miss and that’s what makes him special. He’s looking to move guys and make guys miss; he’s very good at that.”
Though he had four drops last season, that “wasn’t the norm,” Filani said. “He’s got strong hands, runs well and makes plays. He’s got a lot of upside.”
And off the field?
“Character wise, he’s one of the kids who does the right things,” Filani said. “He enjoys nice things but understands you need to put the work in.”
Filani said it’s going to be “huge” for Ezukanma to have Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle as teammates. “Proven guys who can do it,” Filani said. “It will be good to be in a room with guys who are pros already.”
And Filani said Ezukanma will benefit from having another former Texas Tech player, Wes Welker, as his wide receivers coach.
“I had a Zoom during COVID with Wes with the fellows, and they picked his brain,” Filani said of his players, including Ezukanma. “Wes is really good at what he does. That will be good for Erik, a coach with an overachieving mind-set and there’s no better teacher than Wes.”
Some nuggets on Ezukanma, courtesy of Pro Football Focus’ Ryan Smith:
▪ He had a very productive college career (137 receptions, 2,153 yards, 15 TDs). He averaged 14.7 per catch last season, and his 7.8 yards after catch per reception was 28th best in the country.
▪ He had 20 contested catches during the past three years, including nine last season.
▪ He forced 34 missed tackles over the past three season, including 11 last year.
▪ He fumbled only once in his career. He dropped 12 passes in four years, including four last season. That compared with 137 receptions, including 48 (for 705 yards) last season.
▪ The passer rating in his coverage area was 149.3 last season.
OTHER ROOKIE RECEIVERS
▪ The Dolphins added two rookie receivers after the draft: Mississippi’s Braylan Sanders and Idaho State’s Tanner Conner.
NFL. com’s Lance Zierlein called Sanders a “one-dimensional wideout with speed to burn but a history of injuries that halted any momentum during his career at Ole Miss. Sanders won’t be a guy who can uncover on all three levels, and his contested-catch finishing is below average. However, he has home run potential and can draw additional safety help over the top. The injury background comes with a ‘buyer-beware’ sticker, but speed and talent matters. Sanders will get his shot to earn a back-end roster spot as a field-stretching backup.”
Sanders averaged an impressive 21.1 yards on 69 college catches with 10 touchdowns, and he told NFL Network’s Peter Schrager that “I track the ball well. It comes from back in the day when I used to play baseball.”
He averaged 19.2 yards on 10 catches in 2019, 25.1 yards on 15 catches in 2020 and 22.9 yards on 24 receptions last season.
▪ Here’s how NFL.com’s Zierlein sized up 6-3 receiver Conner:
“Conner possesses explosive athletic ability but lacks NFL receiving skills. He’s more project than prospect with a lack of functional ball skills. He has mismatch potential, but needs to better utilize his size and go to school as a route-runner. He has late Day 3 potential and could be a practice squad stash.”
Conner was voted first-team All-Big Sky in 2020 after he led the Bengals with 34 receptions, 685 receiving yards, and 20.1 yards per reception (with three touchdowns). In 2021, he was second-team All-Big Sky with 42 catches for 735 yards (17.5 per reception) and four TDs in 11 games.
Conner was a track star, too, placed in the top seven in three events during the 2021 conference outdoor meet (seventh in the 100-meter dash, fourth in the 4x100-meter relay, fourth in the 100-meter hurdles). His father, Andy, played linebacker at Oregon and played briefly with the Rams and Seahawks.
Here’s my Tuesday piece with a Tom Brady update, as it pertains to the Dolphins.
This story was originally published May 10, 2022 at 3:18 PM.
