Eastern Washington’s Samson Ebukam Shedding the ‘Sleeper Target’ Draft Tag

As the 2017 NFL Draft creeps closer, Eastern Washington continues to be a school of discussion, and not just because of wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who's expected to be one of the first FCS players taken in the draft. Outside linebacker prospect Samson Ebukam has made waves recently thanks to his performance at Eastern's Pro Day.

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Kupp may have been the draw to get NFL scouts in the door at the Eagles' Pro Day at the end of March, but Ebukam gave those in attendance another reason to be excited.

Here's a look at Ebukam's Pro Day numbers:

• Height: 6' 1 7/8"
• Weight: 240 pounds
• Arm Length: 32.5"
• Hand Size: 9 5/8"
• Wingspan: 78 5/8"
• Vertical Jump: 39"
• Broad Jump: 10' 10"
• Bench Press: 24 reps of 225 pounds
• 40-Yard Dash: 4.45 seconds
• 10-Yard Split/20-Yard Dash: 1.53/2.57 seconds
• 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.31 seconds
• 60-Yard Shuttle: 11.64 seconds
• 3-Cone Drill: 7.02 seconds

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The numbers that should immediately stand out (as pointed out by the tweet from CBS Sports' Rob Rang below) are the 4.45-second 40-yard dash and the 39-inch vertical from a 6-foot-2, 240-pound pass-rushing prospect.

EWU edge Samson Ebukam is very popular since terrific Pro Day (4.45, 39" VJ at 6-2, 240). 12 pre-draft visits, incl. PITT today, GB tomorrow

— Rob Rang (@RobRang) April 9, 2017

Those numbers quickly put Ebukam on the NFL's radar, and suddenly another small-school prospect was a must-know prospect.

Ebukam has had a solid career for the Eagles after a really interesting journey led him to Washington. A native of Nigeria, Ebukam moved to the United States when he was 9 years old. He played soccer and competed in track and field before he found football. He was only recruited by two colleges — Eastern Washington and Portland State — and chose to play college football for the Eagles.

Ebukam immediately made an impact and was named a second-team freshman All-America his first year on the field after accumulating 28 tackles, three sackes and four tackles for a loss, with a pair of pass breakups and an interception returned for a touchdown.

He eventually totaled 24 sacks and 44 tackles for a loss over the course of his career.

Once he showed off his speed at the Eastern Pro Day, NFL teams began lining up to get him into their facilities for a workout.

Now NFL teams — including the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers — are literally flying him from NFL city to NFL city to get a look at the edge-rushing prospect. He was certainly a "Sleeper Prospect" a few weeks ago, but he's a well-known name in draft circles now.

Ebukam was projected a late-round to undrafted prospect just a few weeks ago, but it appears his stock is trending up.

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Career Stats

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