STRENGTHS
Ejuan is pound for pound one of the best and complete defensive Edge Rushers in this draft and the chances of him getting selected in the seven rounds of this draft are slim to none. He is quick and powerful off the line with excellent hand fighting techniques. He is the quickest at shedding blocks and making tackles and changes the line of scrimmage to his benefit on every snap. He requires a double team and I have even seen some teams at times double team him with two big offensive linemen and then triple team him using a running back to chip block him. Ejuan has more tackles behind the line of scrimmage then just about any defensive lineman in this draft. He is strong against the run, holding up when double teamed allowing his teammates to make tackles. Ejuan has talent and production that is equal (if not better) than any Edge Rushing defensive lineman in this draft and the truth is if Ejuan was 4 inches taller…he might be the 1st player selected in this draft or at least a 1st Round draft pick but… he isn’t 4 inches taller and reality is reality.

CONCERNS
Ejuan numbers at the combine are 5’ 11”, 241 lbs. on top of that Ejuan ran a 4.84 in the forty but he did show his quickness running 1.66 in 10 yards. The fact is, to think Ejuan can be as impacting and competitive as an edge rusher in the NFL at his stature is a stretch. He will have to change positions and until he learns and proves that he can handle a new position (LB) I suspect that Ejuan will just be considered as a special teams player and a priority undrafted free agent for special teams after the draft.

BOTTOM LINE
Ejuan is an excellent college player and an impacting college player but until he gets play in NFL game conditions there is no way to evaluate if that impact can be carried over to the NFL. London Fletcher was an undrafted free agent who played linebacker in college who was the same size as Ejuan. The big difference is, London played Middle linebacker his entire football career and Ejuan plays as a hand on the ground defensive end. London Fletcher in spite of his size holds the record in the NFL for 215 Consecutive games STARTED at his position and was a core player for three team’s defenses at the MLB position. When I see Ejuan on the field all I can think of is London Fletcher. Same size, same athletic talent, same leadership skills same heart and passion, although London never had the technical skills to rush the passer that Ejuan has. I really believe that Ejuan has a special talent and I think he’s the type of player who could be used in a Clay Mathews like situation moving him around your defense to gain matchups in his favor that will allow him to become an impact pass rushing menace. Nevertheless, I would suspect that he will be considered a very late round pick or by most teams… a priority free agent after the draft is over. I’ll be honest, that’s how I would have to list him also. I mean truthfully how many 5’11’’ edge rushes are in the NFL? Could Ejuan be the exception? The answer is yes… he could be the exception if he ever gets on the field in a game to show it. The problem in the NFL is, once you get labeled it’s hard to find a coach that will rip off that label to see if there is another label underneath.

Drew Boylhart  APR.2017