To run the defense how he desires, Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley needs a more consistent pass rush. One of his former pupils at Boston College could help.
Donovan Ezeiruaku was the Packers’ first-round pick in a new seven-round mock draft at Pro Football Network. He finished second in the nation with 16.5 sacks and fourth with 21 tackles for losses to win ACC Defensive Player of the Year and All-American honors.
“Ezeiruaku is a dynamic and disruptive pass rusher with multiple moves in his arsenal,” PFN’s Reese Decker wrote.
The Packers historically haven’t had much interest in small edge rushers, so Ezeiruaku’s lack of size – he was 6-foot-2 1/2 and 248 pounds at the Scouting Combine – could take him off the board. However, his familiarity with Hafley, 34-inch arms and his elite production could change the equation.
Ezeiruaku is Daniel Jeremiah’s No. 25 prospect at NFL.com as a pass rusher who “has all the tricks in his bag to win against good players.”
“He just knows how to win and can really rush the quarterback,” Jeremiah said in a pre-Scouting Combine conference call.
At the Scouting Combine, he sold himself with his production and mentality.
“I think I have a knack for the football,” he said. “ I always took pride in the run game. I understand you can’t pass rush on third down until you win on first and second down. I take a lot of pride in that like I said. There’s areas to improve in all part of our games. But I think I play the run pretty darn well. Obviously, it’s going to be different going into the NFL, but I think It’ll be just fine.”
Run defense is important but sacks get the defense off the field and win games.
“I’ve shown that I can finish, that I can pass rush and I can destruct a quarterback. I think that’s really important with today’s day and age, and it being a passing league.”
On the edge, he was the pick over Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart and Marshall’s Mike Green, who led the nation in sacks.
Cornerback Shavon Revel, who had a predraft visit with the Packers, was the second-round pick. He missed most of 2024 with a torn ACL but should be ready for camp. Colorado State’s Tory Horton, a big-play receiver with game-changing return ability, was the third-round choice.
Horton caught 71 passes for 1,131 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022 (led the Mountain West in yards) and 96 passes for 1,136 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023 (led the Mountain West in catches). He missed most of the 2024 season with a knee injury but ran his 40 in 4.41 seconds at the Combine.
With speed and size (6-foot-2 1/2), he could help offset the loss of Christian Watson due to last year’s torn ACL.
At the Combine, he called himself a “6-3 guy, I played a lot of slot and outside, move around, vertical threat, so I feel like I got a lot of versatility in my game of moving around and working deep and even under routes a lot.”
The Day 3 selections were used on two linebackers, a running back, a defensive tackle and another receiver.
The defensive tackle was Notre Dame’s Rylie Mills in the fifth round, who could also help Hafley’s pass rush.
Mills had a breakout final season with 7.5 sacks. Of 162 draft-eligible defensive tackles who played at least 200 pass-rushing snaps in 2024, Mills was fourth in pass-rush win rate and tied for fourth in pass-rush productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap.
At 6-foot-5 and 291 pounds, he suffered a torn ACL during the College Football Playoffs and did not go through predraft testing.
“Since I couldn’t do any of the physical stuff, like all the interviews became my Super Bowl,” Mills said at the Combine.
He added: “While I may be a little bit limited physically, I think for me, what really matters is the tape. If you watch my tape, I think my production and what I’ve achieved on the field should speak for itself right now.”
