National Football League

Detroit Lions DE Ezekiel Ansah wants to be the 'greatest' at his position

Published Jun. 4, 2015 2:45 p.m. ET

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Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah sees no ceiling when it comes to his NFL future. He only understands his job, and he wants to be the best at doing it.

"I don’t put numbers on what I'm trying to accomplish," Ansah told Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman. "I'm just trying to be the greatest. The greatest at my position and what I do"

Growing pains (not to mention offseason shoulder surgery) have kept Ansah from actualizing his athletic potential. The 6-foot-6, 278-pound pass-rusher has a respectable 15.5 sacks through two seasons, but he has yet to break out with a double-digit campaign.

The Lions will rely heavily on Ansah's contributions moving forward, so head coach Jim Caldwell is happy to know his defensive end is highly motivated.

"Often times you can see where players play slowly when they don't quite understand everything to a tee," Caldwell said, per the Lions website. "He's one that I certainly think you can see that he’s not thinking nearly as much, he’s reacting and playing and I think in the long run we’ll benefit from that."

Detroit must reestablish its pass-rush after the departure of Ndamukong Suh, so Ansah will be a major player in that initiative.

(h/t Detroit Lions)

Photo Credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

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