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Dolphins Pick Up Wide Receiver in Fourth Round

The Miami Dolphins selected wide receiver Erik Ezukanma with the 125th overall selection in the 2022 NFL draft
Dolphins Pick Up Wide Receiver in Fourth Round
Dolphins Pick Up Wide Receiver in Fourth Round

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After taking a linebacker with their first pick of the 2022 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins selected wide receiver Erik Ezukanma from Texas Tech with the 125th overall selection in the fourth round.

Ezukanma led the Red Raiders in receiving yards each of the past three years, becoming the first Texas Tech player to record that hat trick since the late 1980s. The last TT player to do it in consecutive years had been former Dolphins wide receiver Jakeem Grant in 2014-15.

Ezukanma left Texas Tech after his junior season and participated in the 2022 scouting combine, where he declined the run the 40-yard dash before running a 4.53 or 4.55 (depending on the source) at his Pro Day.

The Erik Ezukanma Scouting Report

He was an All-Big 12 selection (including first-team as a redshirt sophomore) each of the past two years.

This was his NFL.com scouting report from Lance Zierlein: "Productive three-year starter with desired combination of size and foot quickness. Ezukanma has enough speed to get down the field and challenge coverage while displaying an innate sense for protecting and finishing contested catches underneath. The route tree has been limited by scheme, but he's not as polished with the routes he runs as he should be for his experience level. Size, ball skills and toughness work in his favor as a quality backup with some upside."

The selection of Ezukanma was a bit surprising considering wide receiver wasn't necessarily viewed as a need for the Dolphins after the offseason acquisitions of Tyreek Hill, Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Trent Sherfield, along with the return of Lynn Bowden Jr. after he spent all of last season on injured reserve.

Barring other trades, the Dolphins now will have to wait out the fifth and sixth rounds before getting to make their final two picks in the seventh round.


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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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