Without question, one of my favorite picks in the entire 2025 NFL Draft was the Dallas Cowboys lucking into former Boston College Eagles star edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku in the second round. Ezeiruaku was a player I thought my Atlanta Falcons would potentially trade back for in the 20s. Instead, they traded up for James Pearce Jr. out of Tennessee, and Ezeiruaku fell to Dallas at No. 44.
So with Ezeiruaku coming aboard in Big D, it is truly time to put up or shut up for former first-round pick Payton Turner. Back in 2021, Turner went No. 28 overall to the New Orleans Saints out of Houston. He has 50 total tackles and five sacks in four NFL seasons. As expected, he signed with his home state's Cowboys on a one-year deal worth $2.5 million. Ezeiruaku will probably take his job now.
It doesn't matter right now if Ezeiruaku ends up being a great player for the Cowboys or not. He is younger than Turner and the Cowboys have four years of control as soon as he puts pen to paper on his rookie contract. If Turner somehow balls out in year five out of Houston, he may price his way out of Dallas. As for Ezeiruaku, he will be under contract through 2028.
For Dallas to get back into the playoff picture, everyone will need to step up. There are no excuses.
Donovan Ezeiruaku could take Payton Turner's Dallas Cowboys job
At some point in time, the Saints thought highly enough of Turner to make him a first-round selection. Any time a player is not at least extended the fifth-year option with his first team, let alone given a second contract, it is safe to say that the former team whiffed on said draft prospect. Sometimes great college football players do not end up going to the right place. Dallas could be right for Turner.
That being said, the upside, promise and allure of a player like Ezeiruaku will give him a greater benefit of the doubt if and when he messes up over a veteran coming over from another team like Turner. Admittedly, New Orleans had not been a playoff team at any point during Turner's tenure with the team, but up until recently, they were not devoid of talent. He was brought in to make a difference.
The other thing working heavily in Ezeiruaku's favor is he is a first-round talent that was not drafted as such. Often overlooked, as illustrated by him having to star at perennial ACC afterthought Boston College, he could use this to his advantage in a place like Dallas that has become increasingly decadent in the last several decades. He was my favorite Cowboys draft pick for a reason anyway...
The sooner Ezeiruaku proves he should have been a first-round pick, the sooner Turner will be gone.