Ziggy getting busy at the Senior Bowl

MOBILE, Ala. — His name is Ezekial Ansah, but he goes by Ziggy. Common knowledge in Utah, but expect it to be common knowledge on NFL draft day as well.

When any scout talks about Ansah there are a few words that come up early and often: raw and talented. At this point his story has been told to death. Track scholarship from Ghana to eventually get a chance to put on pads, with the help of his teammates.

With the Senior Bowl he is able to write his own story, but since he doesn't have time the national media will write it for him.

How far has he come? Well, last season people actually thought it was far fetched to have him play in the league. KSL's Jeremiah Jensen tweeted, "I did this story on Ziggy Ansah last spring http://bit.ly/WDWqbJ Some laughed but Spencer Hadley and Kelly Poppinga were right. NFL talent."

Yep, people laughed about Ansah being a an NFL player. It really wasn't that long ago that people had serious questions, but according to Senior Bowl reports he has crushed any lingering doubts.

During the week there were some questions about his play. The raw outweighed the talent in slow drills and walk-through practices he looked very much like he should, a player with roughly three years of experience. But it might also be tough love because of his new found love. NBCSports Rotoworld writer Josh Norris called him the best prospect at the Senior Bowl.

Before the game there were several teams rumored to have interest in Ansah. One according to Matt Miller, The Bleacher Report's lead draft writer, is the Detroit Lions, "Lions getting an up close look at Ezekiel Ansah. He'll be in play if available at #5."

It would take a monster performance and a great combine to reach No. 5 overall, but just being mentioned helps his story. Fortunately, he also helped out with a great first half and overall game.

Jeff Call, the BYU beat writer for the Deseret News, wrote about the love on air for Ansah, "So far, Ziggy Ansah is one of the stars of the Senior Bowl. Commentators keep talking about him, showing his highlights. He's had many."

He had many highlights and that was just the first half, he was so good that Neal Driscoll, an NFL draft columnist, tweeted, "Best player so far is DE Ziggy Ansah. Worst player so far is #Wisconsin OT Rick Wagner"

Ziggy was the story. Deep Shades of Blue tweeted out, "It's the Ziggy Show in Mobile today. South leads the North 14-0 at the half. Ansah has dominated, making plays all over the field."

He wouldn't let down in the second half either. Fellow Cougars weighed in on his performance. Brandon Ogletree tweeted, "Ziggy's gonna get paid"

Kyle Van Noy added, "Keep talkin about my boy zigggggyyyyy!!!! Killen it!! He's a handful hahahaha... Yeahh right he's a child lol"

But it wasn't just locals, ESPN's Todd McShay weighed in as well. McShay has been an Ansah fan, but questioned his practice during the week, fortunately he saw more in the game, "Glad to see more from BYU DE Ansah today than we saw from him in practices. Rare skill set but scary raw."

KSL's Jason Shepherd got in on the action on Twitter, "Ziggy is Ansah-ing a lot of questions today. His draft stock is soaring and his wallet is getting fatter." How much fatter will his wallet get? In most analysts' eyes, Ansah slated to go in the late teens of the NFL Draft coming into the week, but he will now probably go much higher.

Scott Wright, from NFL Draft Countdown, answered a question about Ansah that could give his real range in the draft, "Doubtful, but Top 10 isn't out of the question. "RT @WNSPTim Can #BYU DE Ziggy Ansah go No.3 to Oakland?" #Raiders"

Very real chance to go in the high single digits. Bruce Feldman, of CBS Sports, tweets profoundly on why this will happen, "Haven't watched every snap of Senior Bowl but every time I flip it on Ziggy Ansah is making a play."

And it was because he was making a play. Eric Galko, the director of Optimum Scouting, tweeted out his final stats, "Ziggy Ansah ended the day with 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3.5 TFLs, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup. Definition of a "gamer". Wow performance"

That is as close to dominance as anyone will see in an "All Star Game." BYU's Richard Wilson tweeted, "Give big zig the MVP already!! #SeniorBowl#BYUfootball"

Wilson had to wait a little bit, but in the end Ansah was indeed named the South Team's Most Outstanding Player. An amazing overall feat given his past, and maybe more of what his future might entail.

KVN added another amazing side of the story, "What's even more funny about watching zig is he doesn't even know how to play a wide DE! Haha... MVP... MVP!!!"

Still learning, still growing, but Ziggy looks very dominant right now. Where does he end up? Well, there is still a combine for the former sprinter to wow more people with.

Utah's Star Lotulelei will be among the first handful chosen, but don't be surprised when he is followed closely by Ansah come April.

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