Cleveland Browns sign tight end Anthony Ezeakunne
By Thomas Moore
Sep 21, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns helmet on the field before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns signed tight end Anthony Ezeakunne on Saturday, according to the team’s website.
To make room for the 6-foot-4, 245-pound undrafted rookie out of Chapman University, the Browns released tight end tight end Manasseh Garner.
Ezeakunne appeared in 25 career games for the Panthers, finishing the 2014 season with 12 catches for 122 yards and one touchdown. More interestingly, he was part of an offense that led the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions with 256.6 rushing yards per game.
While he wasn’t thrown to very often, Ezeakunne made the most of his opportunities as five of his 30 career receptions went for touchdowns.
This past spring Prowl magazine, the university’s student-run magazine, named Ezeakunne one of the football program’s all-stars of the past 20 years (Chapman restarted its football program in 1994). Ezeakunne was selected for his junior season, when he had 14 receptions for 173 yards and three touchdowns. In the story, the magazine wrote that:
"Chapman doesn’t use tight ends in the passing game as much as some other teams do. As you can see, the top two tight ends in history combined for less than 30 catches when a lot of receivers clock in around 60 catches on a year. Panther receivers shared the wealth in Michael Lahey’s record-setting 2013 season with no receiver totaling more than 450 yards or 5 touchdowns. But Ezeakunne, at 6’4” gave Lahey an excellent target in the end zone, accounting for three of the teams 21 receiving touchdowns on the year."
The school newspaper, The Panther, also featured Ezeakunne in a profile story this past spring as he prepared for a shot at the NFL. According to the story:
"For Ezeakunne, playing professional football has been a goal his entire life. After Chapman’s football season, an NFL agent Tyrone Barnes contacted him and wanted to represent him. Ezeakunne was selected to participate in the NFL Regional Combine event in Colorado, where athletes from smaller schools showcased their talents for a shot at the NFL."
"Ezeakunne said the experience was unforgettable, as coaches and scouts lined the field to watch the athletes compete in a variety of drills. A former basketball player, he said his 31-inch vertical impressed scouts and Barnes received calls from 17 NFL teams who will travel to Southern California to watch Ezeakunne work out March 30."
A two-time All-SCIAC tight end, Ezeakunne played in the 5th Annual National Bowl Game last December. The game is an annual post-season college football all-star game consisting of top players from non-FBS schools.