Draft History: 1999

It all happened so fast, Ebenezer Ekuban wasn't sure how to react.

Ekuban's mind was racing as his North Carolina teammates slapped him on the helmet and barked encouragement. The junior defensive end hovered over his prey for a second, then turned to Tar Heels star Greg Ellis for guidance.

"Greg," Ekuban asked, "was that a sack? What do I do?"

Ellis shook his head in amazement.

"I thought, "Wow, we've got a problem,' " Ellis recalled Sunday. "I was like, "Tell me you didn't just ask this.' "

A more experienced Ekuban has followed Ellis to the Cowboys as a first-round pick. The bookend defensive ends were reunited Sunday as Ekuban was introduced to the local media during the second and final day of the NFL draft.

The day began on a sour note when USC receiver Larry Parker, the player the Cowboys had targeted to select in the fourth round, went to Kansas City. The club rebounded 10 picks later by selecting Texas receiver Wane McGarity, then followed that in the sixth round with Nebraska-Omaha receiver Mar Tay Jenkins.

All told, Dallas selected five players Sunday to bring its draft bounty to eight. The player who seemed to intrigue the Cowboys most on Day 2 was Hundens "Peppi" Zellner. The 6-5, 251-pound defensive end from Fort Valley State didn't enjoy a productive college career, but he rates slightly behind Ekuban in terms of speed and athletic ability.

"He tried to play some basketball in between junior college and Fort Valley State," Cowboys coach Chan Gailey said. "Someone told him he might be an NBA player. Someone gave him some mis-information.

"This guy has what we hope to be a great upside."

Dallas officials hold the same hope for Ekuban.

The story of a pass rusher who didn't know what a sack was 24 months ago should provide plenty of comic fodder. Since the Dallas starting defensive front combined for just four sacks over the final 10 games of the 1998 regular season, it can be argued they're not all that familiar with the concept, either.

The Cowboys, obviously, don't view it this way. The fact a novice to the position has risen so far so fast - and Ekuban is 4.62 fast in the 40-yard dash - gives them confidence he will continue to improve.

"He's been in the position only a short time, but he's made giant strides," Gailey said. "We expect those things to continue."

Ekuban and his family moved to this country from Ghana when he was 7 years old. He spoke only Fanti and had to learn English from scratch.

Soccer was his sport growing up. He turned his attention to football his junior year in high school.

Ekuban spent his first two years at North Carolina buried on the depth chart at tight end. Mack Brown, who was the Tar Heels' coach at the time, decided to move him to defensive end before his junior year.

Ekuban initially resisted the idea. But he said he slowly came to realize it was the best thing for him. He played behind Ellis for a year, then assumed the starting job once Ellis was drafted by the Cowboys.

"He's an educated guy who has the ability to learn at a quick speed," Ellis said. "He was real persistent. He never gave up. It was always, "Greg, what do I have to do? What am I supposed to be doing now?' "

The events of the past 24 hours have left Ekuban a bit shell-shocked. After being drafted by the Cowboys, he left his home in Maryland to fly to Dallas on the private jet of owner Jerry Jones. He was joined by his father, two of his six sisters, their husbands and a niece.

"I'm sure you've heard the story of "Sleepless in Seattle,' " Ekuban said. "I was sleepless in Maryland and Dallas-Fort Worth."

There is more to Ekuban than his stats as a defensive end. He made the Dean's List in the fall semester and carries a 3.2 grade-point average. He's part of a community outreach program in Carolina that raised more than $6,000 for juvenile diabetes research.

And yes, he has figured out what constitutes a sack. He had seven of them for the Tar Heels last season.

"Greg better stop telling people that," Ekuban said with a laugh.

"I think he was just mad because I got there first."