Boston College rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku drafted by Cowboys

As disappointing as it was to wait all night Thursday and never hear his name called, the small setback didn’t make the moment Donovan Ezeiruaku actualized a lifelong dream Friday any less magical.

The Boston College standout, a 6-foot-2-inch, 248-pound edge rusher from Williamstown, N.J., went 44th overall in the second round to the Cowboys.

“This kid is ready to go,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. “He’s NFL ready.”

Ezeiruaku earned Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors this past season, joining Mark Herzlich (2008) and Luke Kuechly (2011) in an exclusive club.

He led the nation in regular-season sacks with 16½, which tied the BC single-season record. His 20½ tackles for loss placed him second in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Ezeiruaku was the program’s first consensus All-American since Andre Williams in 2013.

“It’s very safe to say that he’s one of the best players to ever play in this program,” head coach Bill O’Brien said in November.

Ezeiruaku’s breakout performance this past season vaulted him into the national spotlight, but his journey hasn’t been all glamorous.

After a promising sophomore season, in which he led the team with 8½ sacks, Ezeiruaku took a step backward as a junior with just two. Navigating nonstop double-teams proved more tricky than expected, and he felt like a shell of himself.

“I had really high expectations,” Ezeiruaku said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel like I was chasing the plays, chasing the stats, chasing the sacks, instead of just having fun and playing football.”

After a demoralizing stretch, he attacked the offseason “full throttle” and pieced together a monster senior year.

Once projected as a third-to-fourth-round pick, he quickly skyrocketed up draft boards as the season progressed. Ezeiruaku secured the top times in the three-cone drill (6.94 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.19) among all defensive ends at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, which solidified his status as a likely first- or second-round pick.

Ezeiruaku, who clairvoyantly professed to his parents at age 10 that he wanted to play football for a living, has now made that a reality. He knows what he does with the opportunity is more important than which night he was chosen.

“As long as my foot’s in the door, I can’t complain,” Ezeiruaku said.