By: Danny Holmgren

BYU’s Ziggy Ansah Tackles Michigan Receiver Denard Robinson (USAT Sports Images)

This afternoon many of the elite seniors of college football players gathered in Mobile, Alabama for the 2013 Senior Bowl, a contest won by the South 21-16 over the North. The storybook fairytale for BYU’s Ziggy Ansah continued as he led the South’s defense and garnered MVP accolades.

On the day Ansah had six solo tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 3.5 tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble. What the stats don’t show is how his huge frame, impressive strength, and shocking speed disrupted the play of the admittedly weak quarterback play all day. No matter who was tasked with trying to block him, Ansah pushed, swam, or just plowed his way into the backfield all afternoon.

Up and down results in practices and drills throughout the week had caused some scouts to have mixed reviews about where they place Ansah in the upcoming draft. While his size, strength, and speed are all impressive, he is still a young and unrefined player with raw skills. Ziggy proved today and throughout his senior season that there are other aspects of gameplay besides drills and technique that will make one an efficient player. Ansah has shown off many of those intangible gifts that he possesses and after his performance Saturday against many of the nation’s top players, you can bet that all eyes will be on him at the NFL Combine next month. For the humble player from Ghana who had never even put on football pads 2 1/2 years ago, the dream continues, and that dream is certain to have a seven-figure contract attached to it.

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