The Dallas Cowboys actually drafted an edge rusher in the 1st round in 2026 with UCF’s Malachi Lawrence at No. 23 overall.
For many, it seemed like the 2nd year in a row the Cowboys landed 1st-round talent at the position after getting Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku in the 2nd round in 2025 and getting to see his talent on display — at times — during his rookie season.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thinks that, out of any player currently on the roster, he could be a “building block” for the defense in the future.
Ezeiruaku missed most of the offseason after hip surgery, but is expected to be ready for training camp.
“The Dallas Cowboys defense was a liability last season, ranking 30th overall and 32nd in points allowed,” Knox wrote on July 5. “Understandably, Dallas put a lot of effort into rebuilding the unit this offseason. Improving the pass rush was a top priority, and the Cowboys traded for Rashan Gary and drafted Malachi Lawrence in the first round. Those two will get plenty of attention this year, but fans shouldn’t sleep on second-year edge-rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku … Gary and Lawrence will be worth tracking this season, but no one should be surprised if Ezeiruaku ends the year as Dallas’ sack leader.”
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Pro Football Focus NFL reporter Bradley Locker placed Ezeiruaku on his NFL All-Breakout Team for 2026 — a group that should include the NFL’s “next great player.”
Ezeiruaku was one of the few bright spots on what turned out to be the NFL’s worst defense in 2025.
“There were several second-year edge defenders pushing for this slot, but Ezeiruaku presents the best combination of a promising first season as well as upside,” Locker wrote on May 13. “Despite sliding to the second round, Ezeiruaku turned in a solid rookie campaign with a 66.8 PFF pass-rush grade, the second-best among qualified newcomers at the position. What’s also appealing about Ezeiruaku is how good he looked against the run, sitting in the 85th percentile in run stop rate (8.1%) and the 73rd percentile in PFF run-defense grade (62.8).”
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If anything, the competition is only going to reveal the player or players most equipped for that kind of pressure after the Cowboys made 2 big moves at the position this offseason, trading for former 1st-round pick Rashan Gary and drafting Malachi Lawrence in the 1st round.
“With Micah Parsons traded away, Donovan Ezeiruaku got to play a ton of snaps as a rookie, mustering only (3) sacks but nine tackles for loss,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote. “With Rashan Gary on board, the Dallas Cowboys have upgraded their overall pass rush from 2025, and Ezeiruaku will benefit from that — he nearly tripled his sack totals from his freshman to sophomore year at Boston College. A young, new defensive coordinator in Christian Parker will improve what was the worst scoring defense in the NFL, and Ezeiruaku could be a central part of that.”
Ezeiruaku is playing on what’s a pretty lucrative contract for a 2nd-round pick with a 4-year, $10.15 million deal.
“Donovan Ezeiruaku’s stat rankings among rookies: T-1st in Sacks (3), 2nd in TFLs (6), T-1st in FF’s (1),” Cowboys Muse wrote on its official X account on November 7. “And we got him in the 2nd round.”
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