Back in 2013 the Detroit Lions had the fifth pick in the NFL Draft and they took a chance on a young Ghana born edge rusher who had spent most of his life playing basketball and played football for just a couple of years before the draft. That was Ezekiel Ansah.
Ansah worked out really well. He played six seasons in Detroit and was an All-Pro in 2015 when he put up 14.5 sacks.
Sometimes there are these guys who are just naturally born athletes who can step into any sport and just get it. Ansah started playing football in 2010 in college and then was the fifth pick in the draft three years later and an All-Pro five years later. Athleticism goes such a long way in this game.
There’s a player in this year’s draft who reminds me a lot of Ansah, and that’s Boise State edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein. He moved to the U.S. from Egypt in 2018 and didn’t speak English and didn’t have any understanding of the game of football. But he had tremendous athleticism from doing CrossFit for years.
He started playing football in high school five years ago and just took to it like a fish takes to water. and became a three-star prospect who received offers from multiple Division 1 programs. He chose Boise State and got better there every year. In 2024, he had 62 pressures and 10 sacks. Those 62 pressures were fourth in the nation.
While there are a lot of parallels with Hassanein and Ansah, draft position isn’t one of them. Ansah went super early in the draft, and Hassanein is currently projected to be a Day 3 draft pick with the upside to possibly go in the third round on Day 2. Detroit could look to take him as a bonus edge rusher if they look to take someone else earlier.
The Lions should be a team that has a heavy interest in him for multiple reasons. We know the Lions are all about athleticism because you see that in every pick they make. We also know they want someone who will fit their culture. Hassanien was a finalist for the Jason Witten Man of the Year award last season and is an Academic All-American.
On the field, he is someone who can play on the outside and be a pass-rushing help, but he can also move inside due to his size and strength. He has the positional versatility Detroit loves.
We’ll see what happens in just a few weeks, but if the Lions do take him, they’ll make some NFL history by being the first team to draft an Egyptian player.
A version of this post was originally published on this site