OL Joshua Ezeudu partners with National Stuttering Association
One of the memorable moments from the Giants' 2022 draft weekend was hearing third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu talk about overcoming his stutter.
Dealing with it since he was a young child, the 22-year-old has worked tirelessly to conquer his stutter and has come a long way, especially in the last few years since arriving at North Carolina.
With this week being National Stuttering Awareness Week, the rookie offensive lineman partnered with the National Stuttering Association (NSA) to put a spotlight on the community.
"My name is Joshua Ezeudu, I was just recently drafted to play for the New York Giants, and I played football and went to school at UNC, and I'm a person who stutters," Ezeudu says in a video for NSA. "This week is National Stuttering Awareness Week, and as a person who stutters, the one thing I want to say about stuttering is that just because a person stutters, that does not make them any less capable than the next person.
"Stuttering is just an obstacle, and us humans have obstacles we overcome all the time in our lives, which makes us all equal. I just hope this week, you can join me and the National Stuttering Association in gaining awareness for stuttering."
Ezeudu's inspiring journey has touched the lives of many around him, including his former head coach.
Last week, North Carolina coach Mack Brown joined the Giants Huddle podcast to discuss a variety of topics, including Ezeudu overcoming his stutter throughout his collegiate career.
"Josh would be the first to talk to you about it, but he had a stuttering issue when we got here, and he really had trouble speaking in front of people," said Brown. "I heard him on draft day talking about being so excited to be a Giant, and he didn't stutter at all. We got him some help a couple of years ago, and I was so proud of that. That was probably my most proud moment on draft day of watching Josh, who is so smart, be able to articulate like he would want to…
"I thought when he overcame the stuttering, it allowed him to be a better leader. It pretty much coincided with each other. We're going to miss him as a great offensive lineman, but as much as a true leader."
Giants 2022 draft class jersey numbers
Rookie Minicamp is set to kick off tomorrow.
Before camp begins, all 11 members of the Giants' 2022 draft class were assigned jersey numbers.
Here are the numbers for all 11 players:
- OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux - No. 5
- OT Evan Neal - No. 70
- WR Wan'Dale Robinson - No. 17
- OL Joshua Ezeudu - No. 75
- CB Cor'Dale Flott - No. 28
- TE Daniel Bellinger - No. 45
- S Dane Belton - No. 36
- LB Micah McFadden - No. 43
- DT D.J. Davidson - No. 98
- OL Marcus McKethan - No. 60
- LB Darrian Beavers - No. 41
*Jersey numbers are subject to change
View the jersey numbers for all 11 members of the Giants' 2022 draft class.
OT Evan Neal - Round 1, Pick No. 7
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux - Round 1, Pick No. 5
WR Wan'Dale Robinson - Round 2, Pick No. 43
OL Joshua Ezeudu - Round 3, Pick No. 67
CB Cor'Dale Flott - Round 3, Pick No. 81
TE Daniel Bellinger - Round 4, Pick No. 112
S Dane Belton - Round 4, Pick No. 114
LB Micah McFadden - Round 5, Pick No. 146
DT D.J. Davidson - Round 5, Pick No. 147
OL Marcus McKethan - Round 5, Pick No. 173
LB Darrian Beavers - Round 6, Pick No. 182
Giants Huddle | 2022 Schedule Preview
Lance Medow and Paul Dottino breakdown the Giants' opponents by division ahead of the 2022 NFL schedule release.
:39 - NFC East
7:44 - NFC North
14:38 - AFC South
23:23 - Remaining Opponents
