NC State OL Ikem Ekwonu Visits Jaguars

One of the draft's top-ranked offensive linemen is in Jacksonville to visit the Jaguars' facility today.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are having a busy Monday,

Along with hosting potential No. 1 overall pick Michigan edge defender Aidan Hutchinson, the Jaguars are also hosting NC State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Top NFL Draft prospects #Michigan edge Aidan Hutchinson and #NCState OT Ickey Ekwonu are both visiting the #Jaguars today for a Top 30 visit. Both potential No. 1 picks. They’ll each visit the #Jets and #Giants soon, too.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 4, 2022

A three-star prospect entering college according to 247Sports, Ikem Ekwonu was the site's No. 612 ranked player nationally and No. 36 offensive guard in the 2019 class. A North Carolina native, Ekwonu opted to join North Carolina State over offers from UNC, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Charlotte, and Appalachian State.

A 6-foot-4, 320 pound lineman, Ekwonu will enter the NFL having experience at several positions. He started the final seven games of NC State's 2019 season at left tackle, becoming the first true freshman at NC State to start at tackle since 2010.

After a successful freshman season, Ekwonu split time at left tackle and left guard in 2020. He started four games at guard and six at tackle, displaying versatility that could help him become a top pick once April rolls around. Thanks to a solid sophomore season, Ekwonu was named second-team All ACC honors from the Associated Press at both guard and tackle.

Ekwonu had arguably his best season in 2021, starting another 11 games and earning unanimous All-American honors, as well as earning All-ACC placement and being named the Jacobs Blocking Award winner as the ACC's top lineman.

The Jaguars did franchise tag left tackle Cam Robinson last month, guaranteeing him close to $16 million and locking him into the left tackle job for 2022 and potentially longer if the Jaguars extend him a new contract. 

With this in mind, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson was quick to point out at the annual league meetings that tagging Robinson wasn't necessarily an indicator of what the Jaguars are going to do at No. 1 overall on April 28.

"You know, the decisions to bring guys like Cam back are to protect your quarterback, you know. It has nothing to do with the draft and we want those guys to be you know, we want that offensive line to be solidified," Pederson said. 

"We want guys up there that have been around. Cam was is a big part of that and is going to be a big part of that. So we were excited to obviously retain him. But as it pertains to the draft, you know, that's kind of its own separate deal right now."