Dolphins Rookie Film Study: WR Erik Ezukanma
The Miami Dolphins selected Texas Tech wide receiver Erik Ezukanma with the 125th overall selection in the NFL draft last weekend.
The 6-2, 220-pound wide receiver is another piece to new head coach Mike McDaniel’s quest to rebuild Miami’s skill positions on the fly. Ezukanma joins a now crowded Dolphins receiver room led by receivers coach Wes Welker — a Texas Tech alumni — looking to carve out a role for himself.
Ezukanma certainly was productive during his time in college. He finished his career with 138 catches for 2,165 yards and 15 touchdowns over 35 games.
However, stats are just a piece of the puzzle when evaluating prospects. We’ve decided to dive into some Texas Tech All-22 to decipher how Ezukanma can help the Dolphins this season and in the future.
Ezukanma’s best trait is his ability to win at the catch point through contact. Plays like the one above are a constant on his film. The former Red Raiders receiver understands how to use his frame as well as his 33½-inch arms to make difficult catches in the air.
In his last two seasons, Ezukanma pulled in a total of 20 contested catches for a 55 percent contested catch rate, according to PFF.
With Miami trading away Devante Parker to the New England Patriots this offseason, the team is in need of a player who can win contested catches down the field, and Ezukanma fits the bill.
Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Cedrick Wilson are all speed threats — they can make contested catches too — who should be used on things like deep crossers, posts, and double moves. However, Miami still needs someone to be a big-bodied, jump-ball specialist, which is where Ezukanma should shine.
While Ezunkanma’s best trait is his contested catch prowess, his tape shows a player who is more well-rounded than most receivers of that prototype.
The clip above is an excellent example of what Ezukanma is capable of with the ball in his hands as he breaks five Houston tackles. He turns into a running back, capable of bouncing off tackles with ease thanks to his impressive contact balance allowing him to pick up extra yards after the catch.
Ezukanma averaged 7.8 yards after the catch last season, which would have ranked first on the Dolphins for wide receivers who played at least three games. Miami was one of the worst YAC teams in the NFL last season, so any help in that category would be huge.
A product of Ezukanma’s ability to break tackles in the open field was the Red Raiders finding unique ways to get him the football. The play above is a simple jet sweep, which features Ezukanma breaking a tackle and picking up a first down.
He also was used in a limited role in the backfield and he took 59 of his 318 passing down snaps from the slot in 2021, according to PFF.
McDaniel has put a premium on wide receivers who can win from a variety of spots and create explosive plays on manufactured touches like jet sweeps, touch passes, and screens.
While Ezukanma is capable of winning on manufactured touches and from various alignments, Miami should refrain from giving him too many of those opportunities this coming season. Simply put, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are better equipped to handle the manufactured touches in Miami’s offense.
Their speed gives Miami a higher ceiling on those plays compared to Ezukanma, who ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at Texas Tech’s pro day. It’s an added bonus that Ezukanma can win in those, but it shouldn’t be his main role in Miami’s offense.
A more nuanced trait that gets lost in the shuffle of wide receiver evaluation is blocking. McDaniel’s scheme asks his receivers to hold blocks on the outside and make crack blocks against second-level defenders consistently.
Ezukanma should fit in nicely thanks to his ability to block. The rep above is a great example of a wide receiver who has the right physical mentality to make impact blocking. He comes downhill and lays out the TCU defensive back.
Not only does Ezukanma have the mentality to be a good blocker, he’s also got the size for it. His 6-2, 220-pound frame should allow him to hold up pretty well whether he’s blocking defensive backs or even linebackers.
Having a receiver who can hold his own blocking on the perimeter can open up big holes on screens for players like Hill and Waddle, who have the speed to turn them into explosive plays.
Thus far, we’ve covered what Ezukanma does well, but there is a reason he was a fourth-round pick and not a first-round pick. The play above is a good example of a lot of the things Ezukanma will need to improve on in the NFL, but it can all be traced back to one trait — route running.
Route running is Ezukanma’s weakest trait by far, and he’ll have to make major strides in that category if he wants to become a consistent contributor at the NFL level. The Red Raiders offense fed him manufactured touches and limited his route route tree to mostly straight go routes and slants.
Even on those routes, Ezukanma can struggle to create separation. The play above is a good example as the Oklahoma cornerback is never threatened by Ezukanma’s quickness or speed. He easily mirrors Ezukanma’s release at the line of scrimmage, turns his hips, and doesn’t break a sweat sprinting down the field with him.
This happens a fair amount on his film, so he’ll have to add some more nuance to his routes and releases if he wants to separate more consistently in the NFL. Things like head fakes and different types of releases could go a long way to making him a more complete wide receiver.
The Red Raiders’ offense generated a lot of open space for him, something Miami’s scheme likely will do too. However, in order for Ezukanma to become more than a role player, he’ll have to get better at creating separation on his own.
