Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU - Page 2

y.f.s. · 10-06-2012, 04:20 PM

We're starting to see with guys like Henry Melton and Aldon Smith that playing on the interior a lot can actually be really helpful in college, as it forces you to use your hands instead of just trying to run by people off the edge. Good for his development that he's starting inside and will work his way out as he gets better IMO.

Docta · 10-06-2012, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by y.f.s.

We're starting to see with guys like Henry Melton and Aldon Smith that playing on the interior a lot can actually be really helpful in college, as it forces you to use your hands instead of just trying to run by people off the edge. Good for his development that he's starting inside and will work his way out as he gets better IMO.

Chris Long and Alex Okafor are other examples. Spending time inside really does help out.

Dblevins13 · 10-07-2012, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Jones

It would take years for him to gain enough bulk for that. You can't just add 20-30 pounds in a year. Look at how BYU was using him as a rusher out of a two-point stance. He's tall and has long arms, but he looks like more of an elephant linebacker or 4-3 defensive end than a five-technique.

Im new here and wanted to add my opinion. He could realistically add 20 pounds in 4-5 months with proper diet and work out regimen. I've seen him play 2 games now and watch highlights of the others. Ansah could very well play 5 tech by next NFL season if he wanted to. He could be one of the most versatile players any way it goes. Being a Packer fun and loving the 3-4 defense I would LOVE to see Ziggy add the weight through the season and into the off season to have the versatility to play DE/DT and maybe a standing elephant hybrid player all in defense. He is one of my favorite players in the draft. Just my thoughts on the situation. It all depends on what he wants to do and who wants him to do what

FUNBUNCHER · 10-07-2012, 10:20 PM

It would be silly for him to 'fake' bulk up 20# before the combine so he 'looks' more versatile to NFL teams.

Isn't he already 270#??
If an NFL player is going to put on good weight that's mostly muscle, he needs at least a couple seasons.

His weight isn't a problem right now and if he's destined to be a 34 DE, let him grow the right way into the position.

Guys who put on 20# in 4-5 months aren't doing it clean, or it's mostly water weight and too much fat, not muscle.

The added weight is supposed to enhance his play not just let him say he's only gained pounds and not power/strength/speed.

Dblevins13 · 10-07-2012, 11:22 PM

I wasn't saying he needed to do it to look versatile. You can legit ad 4-5 pounds of clean lean muscle a month with right diet and regimen. It was more of a it could be done rather than a should be done. I would like to have him on my team as is now and grow. I will say I am glad I found somewhere to discuss scouting players and what not.

FUNBUNCHER · 10-07-2012, 11:39 PM

No one that I know can consistently gain 4-5# of muscle for four months straight, especially if they're already involved in a rigorous weight lifting program.

Ansah has already bulked to get to 270#. An additional 20# of muscle in five months is very unlikely to happen clean.

Think about what you just wrote, 20# of muscle in five months for a guy who's already a regular lifter??

Honestly that's damn near impossible.

descendency · 10-07-2012, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dblevins13

I wasn't saying he needed to do it to look versatile. You can legit ad 4-5 pounds of clean lean muscle a month with right diet and regimen. It was more of a it could be done rather than a should be done. I would like to have him on my team as is now and grow. I will say I am glad I found somewhere to discuss scouting players and what not.

An off-season is 15 pounds, max. That 4-5 pounds works for 1 month. Maybe two. Not 6 in a row.

Also, they have to train their body to handle the rigors of an entire season. A lot of guys start at 270 and finish at 250, because of the stress on their body.

Dblevins13 · 10-08-2012, 08:57 AM

Honestly its really my bad for really trying to apply a non-football weight gain to football.I think the kid is a monster as is tho.

AntoinCD · 10-08-2012, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUNBUNCHER

No one that I know can consistently gain 4-5# of muscle for four months straight, especially if they're already involved in a rigorous weight lifting program.

Ansah has already bulked to get to 270#. An additional 20# of muscle in five months is very unlikely to happen clean.

Think about what you just wrote, 20# of muscle in five months for a guy who's already a regular lifter??

Honestly that's damn near impossible.

While I agree with the fact he would struggle to add that much good weight in that time, players usually decrease their liftin during the season. A lot of players may limit that to one or two days lifting. What with meetings, practice, recovery etc sometimes it isn't possible to stick to a heavy lifting regime.

Mr. Goosemahn · 10-08-2012, 10:02 AM

Even if he does bulk up to play 5 tech, it's got to be for a scheme that will allow him some versatility when rushing the passer, like Wade Phillips'. More traditional 3-4s don't use DEs like he does, or Dlinemen for that matter. That's why his guys, while great players on their own, sometimes get "inflated" stats for the position.

Mr. Goosemahn · 10-08-2012, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AntoinCD

While I agree with the fact he would struggle to add that much good weight in that time, players usually decrease their liftin during the season. A lot of players may limit that to one or two days lifting. What with meetings, practice, recovery etc sometimes it isn't possible to stick to a heavy lifting regime.

Remember hearing somewhere that they lifted more in college.

Don Vito · 10-08-2012, 10:05 AM

I don't know why you would want a guy with his skillset to play 5 tech anyway. Could he? Maybe, but that would be like asking Steven Jackson To bulk up and play full Back out of college because he has the body type that looks like he could do it.

Mr. Goosemahn · 10-08-2012, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Vito

I don't know why you would want a guy with his skillset to play 5 tech anyway? Could he? Maybe, but that would be like asking Steven Jackson. To bulk up and play full Back out of college because he has the body type that looks like he could do it.

Yeah, that's what I was getting at. There are better candidates for 5tech than him.

y.f.s. · 10-08-2012, 11:43 AM

And (again) this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by y.f.s.

We're starting to see with guys like Henry Melton and Aldon Smith that playing on the interior a lot can actually be really helpful in DL development, as it forces you to use your hands instead of just trying to run by people off the edge. Good for his development that he's starting inside and will work his way out as he gets better IMO.

BlueFunk96 · 10-11-2012, 01:15 PM

A little info about Ziggy.

I'm a BYU fan, and I was just googling around to see some of the buzz about Ziggy. He's created some excitement around Cougar Nation over the last few weeks, as his play on the field is starting to catch up with his potential.

Ziggy joined the LDS church a few years ago in Ghana. He was talking to one of the missionaries about his dream of playing in the NBA (he grew up playing basketball and soccer - had never seen a football until he came to the U.S.). He was told if he wants to play in the NBA, he needed to go to BYU and play college ball.

So he did that. He tried out for the BYU basketball team a couple of times, unsuccessfully. Word is, he has some hops and can touch the rim with his elbow. During the course of trying out for basketball, his vertical was measured at 39". He doesn't appear to have added appreciable bulk since joining the football team in 2010 - his first year playing football, he was listed at 6-6, 270 lbs. I've heard some comments that he might be up to 280 now.

When he didn't make the basketball team the second time, he went out for track. It was the indoor season. It was at this time that he was purportedly timed at 21.9 in the 200 meters (I think late 2009 or early 2010). However, according to the track coach, he was so big that he was having a hard time with colliding with the guys in the lanes next to him on the indoor track. I believe his 200 meter time was recorded at 270 lbs. Not a high school time before he bulked up. Now that I think about it, he didn't run track in high school, so it has to be a BYU time.

Because of his size, the track coach felt his best potential was in football, so he walked Ziggy over to the football offices and introduced him. This was in spring 2010.

The head coach, Bronco Mendenhall, was initially skeptical. Yeah, he had great size and athleticism, but he had never watched, much less played football, and had no idea how to put his pads on. Bronco thought Ziggy wouldn't make it through fall camp, as his conditioning wasn't up to par. But he didn't give up, and started contributing on special teams during that season. According to Bronco, he was extremely fast, usually the first one down the field on kick coverage, and nobody could block him. Several times, he would just run over the blocker. Fans started noticing him on special teams that year, too.

The next year, he learned to play outside linebacker and DL. This year, with a couple of years of experience under his belt, he's just exploded.

For me, I think the first real eye-popping play from Ziggy this year was against Boise State on a fake punt. They snapped it to an up back on the punt. When I watched the play live, all I saw was a Boise lineman go flying onto his back off to the right, and all of a sudden, Ziggy was blowing up the ball carrier. That was Ziggy's man who went flying backward a couple yards. The great thing about this play was it was around Boise's 10 yard line - I don't think anyone really expected a fake at that point, and Ziggy showed great recognition and discipline to see the fake and blow it up behind the line of scrimmage.

Here's Ziggy's highlights from that Boise State game - the fake punt is at about 1:13.

(I have a You Tube video I tried to link, but I don't have a high enough post count. Its v number is 7u9DLxjuYGs.)

He had two sacks in the last game against Utah State and is starting to overshadow our star linebacker, Kyle Van Noy (tied for 5th in the nation with 6 1/2 sacks).

This is a kid with incredible upside, who's just now starting to dominate in college. I've heard he may actually be up to 280 now. And he's one of the fastest guys on the team.

So, his 21.9 200 time and 39" vertical were measured at about 270 lbs. I think there's a good chance he could put up a sub-4.5 40 time. And with a little pre-combine training (BYU players have been going to a local guy, Dave Stroshine, who's had a lot of success with draftable players), he might even hit 40" on the vertical. If he has a strong bench press showing, his measureables are going to be off the charts at the combine for a guy 6-6, 270 lbs.

Most of all, he's starting to dominate as a D-lineman, which is another big key. He's a humble kid, very soft-spoken, and he's shown great tenacity, work ethic, and willingness to learn. He could be a steal for someone, even as an early-round pick.

FUNBUNCHER · 10-11-2012, 01:30 PM

Can't wait to see him at the combine and have his measurables confirmed.
It's hard for me to fathom a man close to 270# can run a sub 22 second 200m.

Does anyone know who was the heaviest player to run a 4.4 range Indy time??
Vernon Davis comes to mind and his 4.38 time at a weight of 253/4#.
Still looks like a great pro prospect, but the athletic feats seem..not plausible to me.

njx9 · 10-11-2012, 01:46 PM

doesn't he have to do the missionary thing next?

BlueFunk96 · 10-11-2012, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by njx9

doesn't he have to do the missionary thing next?

No. He is not going to go on a mission. He wants to play in the NFL.

BlueFunk96 · 10-11-2012, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by y.f.s.

And (again) this:

Keep in mind while watching this that Ziggy was fighting nausea the entire game - he had to sit out a number of plays. So despite the fact he still made a bunch of plays, he wasn't feeling well.

Duffman57 · 10-11-2012, 03:05 PM

I'm just curious, but he looks athletic enought to where if he showed up at the combine around 270, does anyone think that he could play as a 3-4 OLB In the mold of Aldon Smith. When he's asked to just pure rush, his explosion off the edge is great, he's got those long arms and works very hard to hand fight (though that needs work). Just watching some video of him, he looks like when he's in a position where he gets out in space, he's real comfortable changing directions and shadowing a RB or QB. Or is he just a strict 4-3 DE with upside?

SuperPacker · 10-11-2012, 03:14 PM

Not sure if BlueFunk is actually Ezekiel Ansah.

y.f.s. · 10-11-2012, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueFunk96

Ziggy joined the LDS church a few years ago in Ghana. He was talking to one of the missionaries about his dream of playing in the NBA (he grew up playing basketball and soccer - had never seen a football until he came to the U.S.). He was told if he wants to play in the NBA, he needed to go to BYU and play college ball.

Oh. (10 char)

BlueFunk96 · 10-11-2012, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperPacker

Not sure if BlueFunk is actually Ezekiel Ansah.

No, we're just not used to having guys with this kind of athleticism at BYU. There's been a bunch of stories out recently about him, as he's really broken out the last couple of weeks.

YAYareaRB · 10-12-2012, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueFunk96

No, we're just not used to having guys with this kind of athleticism at BYU. There's been a bunch of stories out recently about him, as he's really broken out the last couple of weeks.

Welcome.. I THINK I'm the only other BYU fan here

Scott Wright · 10-17-2012, 03:41 PM

Finally got to see this guy, just kept forgetting to post my thoughts.

Ansah definitely looks the part physically but I was underwhelmed overall.

My biggest issues were that Ansah plays a finesse brand of football and doesn't seem to like contact while his awareness and instincts are lacking and he struggles mightily to get off of blocks. Ansah must also develop additional pass rush moves and counters because he overuses the spin. Granted all of that can conceivably be fixed with time and more experience, but the big question is how early do you select a prospect who is such a major project? Also, with the way Ansah is utilized in BYU's defensive scheme he never really gets the chance to pin his ears back and rush off the edge.

At this point I'd be hard-pressed to stamp anything more than a mid-round grade on "Ziggy" and that could be based mostly on upside. However, if he works out as well as expected and proves that he can be a force off the edge and / or play on his feet as an outside linebacker in an odd front at an all-star game then his stock could certainly continue to rise.

I will be checking Ansah out again this weekend so we'll see if I come away with the same impression. I’ll post another update at that time.