Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU
The Browns have many needs but they desperately need help on the defensive line because Jabaal Sheard is the only pass-rusher worth speaking of. Ziggy is extremely athletic and very fast. He made the BYU track team as a walk-on, recording times of 10.91 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.89 seconds in the 200.
At the Combine, he had a 1.56 second 10-yard split. To put that into perspective, TCU wide receiver Josh Boyce had a 1.56 second 10-yard split himself. In fact, Ziggy's time was faster than 17 wide receivers in the 10-yard split.
At 6'6'', 270 lbs., he has ideal size for either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme. He has good natural strength, although his functional, in-game strength isn't up to NFL standards just yet. The potential is there to add some bulk without decreasing quickness, so you could see big strides from Ziggy after his first season in the NFL when he can go through an entire off-season routine.
As a pass-rusher, he has an excellent bull rush because he can reach top speed quickly and drive offensive tackles into the backfield. His pass-rush repertoire isn't vast at this point, and a lot of his pressure came on stunts at BYU.
The biggest concern with Ziggy is that he appears to wear down quickly. However, he is an excellent special teams player and could fill a need on special teams and in passing situations. If he's committed to becoming a great player, it seems unlikely that he'll fail; he just needs a season to improve his strength and endurance.
The lack of experience and production in college will likely scare away a handful of teams, as was the case with the player most like Ziggy, Jason Pierre-Paul. Ziggy is an explosive, powerful defensive end without much experience but with massive potential. JPP's senior-season stat line of 6.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss is quite similar to Ziggy's 4.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. JPP was drafted 15th but Ziggy will go higher because players with his size and athleticism are extremely rare.
The possible upside of this pick is the reason the Browns will draft Ziggy at the sixth spot.
Thanks to all the CSC members who participated in this year's community mock draft. Without your help, none of this would be possible.
Below are the complete results from our community mock draft.
Catch up with all of the mock draft selections in our 2013 CSC Community Draft Section.
Pick | Team | Selection | Team Representative | Approval Rating |
1 | Kansas City Chiefs |
OT Luke Joeckel - Texas A&M |
Hans Petersen | 77% |
2 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
QB Geno Smith - West Virginia |
Dragon Ninja Warrior | 48% |
3 | Oakland Raiders |
CB Dee Milliner - Alabama |
Ralph Malbrough | 42% |
4 | Philadelphia Eagles |
OT Eric Fisher - Central Mich. |
Aburton531 | 78% |
5 | Detroit Lions |
DE Dion Jordan - Oregon |
ShadowFlash | |
6 | Cleveland Browns |
DE/OLB Ezekiel Ansah - BYU |
Fan since the Aints |