Josiah Nnamdi Ezirim (born May 21, 2001) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and was selected by the Saints in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft.
| No. 72 – New Orleans Saints | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | May 21, 2001 Hilliard, Ohio, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight: | 329 lb (149 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Hilliard Davidson (Hilliard, Ohio) |
| College: | Eastern Kentucky (2019–2023) |
| NFL draft: | 2024 / round: 7 / pick: 239 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Practice squad |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editEzirim was born on May 21, 2001, the oldest of four children, and grew up in Hilliard, Ohio.[1] His father was a Nigerian immigrant and soccer player for the Ohio State Buckeyes who later played professionally.[1] Ezirim played flag football beginning at age five and also played soccer and basketball growing up.[1] He attended Hilliard Davidson High School and won two varsity letters as a defensive lineman, totaling 39 tackles and three sacks at defensive end in 2017, then 67 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble at nose tackle in 2018 while being named all-conference and helping Hilliard Davidson win the conference championship.[1] Ezirim also played for the track and field team in high school, completing in shot put, the discus throw, sprinting and relays.[1]
College career
editA three-star recruit, Ezirim committed to play college football for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels; he had other offers from larger schools including the Cincinnati Bearcats, but declined as he, according to The Athletic, "didn't want anything to do with the offensive line", and wanted to be sure he would not play there.[1] He enrolled at Eastern Kentucky in 2019 and also was a member of the school's indoor track team for a time.[1] He played in 10 games as a true freshman in 2019, recording three tackles, and then played in six games with nine tackles in 2020.[2]
In 2021, Ezirim was told he might have better opportunities if he moved to the offensive line, and, considering that he had a mere 12 tackles and no starts in his first two years on defense, he accepted the offer.[3] He appeared in five games as a backup that year, but then became a top player at right tackle in his last two seasons.[2][4] He appeared in all 12 games in 2022 and was chosen fourth-team All-ASUN.[5][6] In his final year, 2023, he started 11 games and was named first-team All-United Athletic Conference (UAC) as well as a third-team FCS All-American by the Associated Press (AP).[4] He was invited to the East–West Shrine Bowl and to the NFL Scouting Combine.[7][8]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5+3⁄4 in (1.97 m) |
329 lb (149 kg) |
35+3⁄4 in (0.91 m) |
10+3⁄4 in (0.27 m) |
5.15 s | 1.92 s | 3.02 s | 29.5 in (0.75 m) |
9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) |
28 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[9][10] | ||||||||||||
Ezirim was selected in the seventh round (239th overall) of the 2024 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints.[11] He was waived on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.[12][13]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Brugler, Dane (April 2024). "The Beast: 2024 NFL Draft Guide" (PDF). The Athletic. pp. 127–128.
- ^ a b "Josiah Ezirim". Eastern Kentucky Colonels.
- ^ Johnson, Luke (May 3, 2024). "Here is why the Saints might've found a steal with their 7th round offensive tackle". Nola.com.
- ^ a b DiRenna, Frank (April 28, 2024). "New Orleans Saints select Hilliard Davidson graduate Josiah Ezirim in NFL draft". The Columbus Dispatch.
- ^ Story, Prince James (April 26, 2024). "Eastern Kentucky offensive lineman Josiah Ezirim picked in 2024 NFL Draft". The Courier-Journal.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints draft Eastern Kentucky offensive tackle Josiah Ezirim with pick 239 in the 2024 NFL Draft". New Orleans Saints. April 27, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
- ^ Sigler, John (April 27, 2024). "Saints select a little-known offensive lineman with their final 2024 draft pick". Saints Wire. USA Today. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ "EKU's Joziah Ezirim Invited to 2024 NFL Scouting Combine". Eastern Kentucky Colonels. February 10, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
- ^ "Josiah Ezirim Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Josiah Ezirim College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Luke (April 27, 2024). "With their final pick in the draft, the Saints added a massive small school offensive tackle". The Advocate. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 27, 2024. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 28, 2024. Retrieved October 17, 2024.