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Ezekiel wants chance: NU linebacker ready to tackle next level
By Steve Conroy
Friday, April 22, 2005
Liam Ezekiel doesn't expect the path to the National Football League to be an easy one. After talking to the Northeastern middle linebacker for a short time, you get the sense that if it was, then he wouldn't be interested.
As the heart of the Huskies defense for the last four years, Ezekiel has acquired the well-earned reputation for going through his obstacles rather than around them. Originally planning to attend West Virginia before deciding on NU in the summer of 2001, he finished his collegiate career as the Huskies' all-time leading tackler with 489, finished sixth in the nation in tackles per game (12.2) last year and is NU's first three-time All-American and four-time all-Atlantic 10 honoree.
Northeastern University's Liam Ezekiel has a distinguished resume with endless records and honors. That resume is the result of a football player's work on the field. And as we learned with our recent opportunity to ask Liam Ezekiel some questions, fitting the middle linebacker he presents himself to be on the football field, Liam just wants to make plays on the field and win games. Some teams will undoubtedly conclude, for a number of reasons including some of the insight acquired from our interview, that there will be a point in the draft when selecting Liam Ezekiel represents value. But as a Division 1-AA star that was originally headed for West Virginia, the small-school knock will be an interesting dynamic when the NFL draft commences and NFL GMs and scouting staffs weigh the Atlantic-10's level of competition against the empirical evidence that this is a special kind of football player.
DraftBoardInsider.com: As a player at Northeastern that's set records and achieved a lot in terms of stats and awards like being named first team All-American, you have to be proud of the accolades, but can you explain how all of that stacks up to the success of the 2002 season with a playoff berth that no one gave any chance to at the beginning of that season?
Liam Ezekiel: It is great to receive individual rewards but those come hand and hand with team success. Team success is always of greater importance. To me I’d rather win all the games and get nothing as far as personal accolades go. And I love to be a sleeper gives me more drive to prove people wrong and show them what I am capable of individually and my team.
DraftBoardInsider.com: As you enter your final season at Northeastern, when you look back at your decision to attend Northeastern instead of going to West Virginia, what comes to mind as the best aspect of doing that?
Liam Ezekiel: The best aspect of being at Northeastern is that it is home I am close to my family and they get to see me play and at the time of that decision I just wasn’t ready to leave home.
DraftBoardInsider.com: When you look at how you've developed as a football player, playing in the Atlantic-10 conference, what part of your game do you think has improved the most during your college career and what remains as an area that you're committed to improve upon?
Liam Ezekiel: The most improved area of my game is recognizing offensive sets and knowing what plays I'm going to see. My ability to know what the play is before the ball is snapped, by seeing guys leaning or having their feet or arms in a different position. And when I think about improvement I think about all areas I can always get better at everything.
DraftBoardInsider.com: Have you made specific goals for yourself, as well as the team and the defense for the 2004 season? If so, what are they?
Liam Ezekiel: I want to have the best defense in our league. I would also like for my team to get back to the playoffs. My personal goals have been the same since I was a kid, to be the best. Basically my number one goal is to make sure this isn't my last year of football.
DraftBoardInsider.com: At this particular point in your football career, how much does being an NFL prospect enter into your thoughts when setting goals or approaching the game of football?
Liam Ezekiel: It's in my mind all the time because I know that how I play this year has a huge impact on my future. My goals have always been the same I just want to make plays and hit people. The game of football has always been my life and I just want to keep it that way.
It's difficult to prognosticate in September how a player like Liam Ezekiel's draft stock will be perceived next April. Even then it can be a case of one team's reach is another team's value. But one subplot that might be worth paying attention to, when you consider the makeup of the player and the person, will be whether or not one could look down the road from Northeastern to Gillette Stadium and find the 2003 NFL Executive of the Year, Scott Pioli, envisioning Liam Ezekiel making a contribution to a team, and specifically a LB unit, where it would appear he'd fit in like it was home.
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Analysis | Injury Report | Agility | High School | Personal
OVERVIEW
Ezekiel has been an absolute terror in the middle of the NU defense since he arrived on campus. NU's all-time leading tackler, Ezekiel was named a first team Preseason All-American by Athlon Sports, Street & Smith's, Lindy's and the Sports Network, as well as an Atlantic-10 Preseason All-Conference First Teamer.
ANALYSIS
Positives: He is one of the toughest (played the last five weeks of 2002 with a broken thumb) and strongest (400-pound bench) players to ever don the Red and Black.
HIGH SCHOOL
Lettered in football, basketball and track at Arlington High … made record 21 tackles in a single game and had 115 tackles in one season … finished high school career with a school-record 450 tackles … named Team MVP and a league all-star as a sophomore, junior and senior … named all-state as a junior and senior … named all-scholastic by the Boston Herald and Boston Globe … named to all-state select 22 team as a senior.
PERSONAL
Born Oct. 30, 1982 … Criminal Justice major … grandfather played football at Wyoming … Class of 2006.
Positives:
When you look up “small school sleeper” in the dictionary the Atlantic-10 “All-Everything” middle linebacker is who you’ll find. Liam Ezekiel (pronounced e-ZEE-kee-ul) is everything a team could ask for in a middle linebacker. He’s got ideal size and speed. He's quick to the ball in the run game, solid in coverage and an exceptional blitzer. Liam is the undisputed best defensive player in the A-10. At times, he seemed as dominant as a football player can be. Ezekiel makes excellent decisions and always seems to be where the ball is, no matter where the play happens to be the field.
Negatives:
For all of his skills and gaudy stats, Ezekiel did it in the Atlantic-10 against inferior competition. If Ezekiel played for Michigan, he’d be discussed as one of the best defensive players in the country; being tucked away at Northeastern and playing bad teams, will drop him some, but still being a solid day one prospect. Ezekiel is raw in terms of his technique; most often he just mauls opponents with his supreme physical skills. At the next level, he’ll need time to learn the more complex defenses.
Overall:
Ezekiel is a virtual unknown in draftnik circles because of where he plays (chances are you won’t find anything more than his name, height and weight anywhere else on the web), but that doesn’t diminish that in terms of raw, physical talent, he’s one of the best ILBs in the country. Has all the tools to be an exceptional NFL player, but he’ll have to show that he can make plays against players besides the devastating talent at Harvard, Villanova and the like. Playing at Northeastern, he’s been allowed to freelance, just letting his talent take over; but in the NFL, he’ll have to show he can learn an NFL defensive system and play effectively within it.
Games that matter:
9/11 @ Navy, 11/6 UMass and 11/20 Rhode Island — Beyond Navy, it may be a reach to say these are going to be big-time games for Ezekiel, because although these are the best teams Northeastern will play, they aren’t big-time programs. No team runs the ball more than Navy, so it's an opportunity for him, perhaps his only other one besides whatever All-Star game to which he gets invited, to show off for NFL scouts. Liam will continue to rack up huge stats playing an A-10 schedule, so the week of practice for the Senior Bowl and the game itself against top D1 talent, will show a ton about how ready he is for the next level.
Final Word:
GEM — Ezekiel is hidden, but certainly not for long. There are always a handful of small school players tucked away all season; then like clockwork, they suddenly appear after the postseason is over on all the "draftnik" value boards. Well, here’s the first one for ya — once the "draftnik" machine catches up to Liam’s game, you’ll be seeing his name all over the place. For now, Ezekiel simply has football to play at Northeastern and opposing offenses to dominate. His time will come.
Ouch, following a post-practice incident where, after arguing with a teammate, he blindsided the player, knocking him unconscious and leaving 13 staples in his head. Was removed as team captain.
Ouch, following a post-practice incident where, after arguing with a teammate, he blindsided the player, knocking him unconscious and leaving 13 staples in his head. Was removed as team captain.
alright!.... I love team leadership.... good signing.
Ouch, following a post-practice incident where, after arguing with a teammate, he blindsided the player, knocking him unconscious and leaving 13 staples in his head. Was removed as team captain.
Originally posted by Canadian'eh!
alright!.... I love team leadership.... good signing.
Ouch, following a post-practice incident where, after arguing with a teammate, he blindsided the player, knocking him unconscious and leaving 13 staples in his head. Was removed as team captain.
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