Detroit Lions

Lions' Ngata: Pro Bowl DE Ansah is just 'scratching the surface'

Published Feb. 1, 2016 1:21 p.m. ET

foxsports

Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah made his first career Pro Bowl appearance over the weekend. Veteran teammate Haloti Ngata is confident that it wasn't his last.

Ngata, who has made five career Pro Bowls himself, compared Ansah's coming of age to his own experience in 10 NFL seasons. He foresees a bright future for the blooming pass-rusher.

Via Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman:

He’s scratching the surface now. I think he gets the feel of how good he can be. It kind of happened with me, too. I thought I was good when I was younger and didn’t know how good I was.

Now you make it to your first Pro Bowl and you’re like, ‘okay, I can hang with these guys, I’m one of the best in the league.’

Ansah is a 26-year-old who was selected fifth overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. He showed promise in his first two seasons, but his breakout campaign finally came in 2015. The 6-foot-6, 279-pound edge-defender finished third in the NFL with 14.5 sacks. He also had 47 tackles, four forced fumbles and a defended pass.

When it comes to young sack masters, Ansah's name is certainly one to watch in the years to come.