Ekwonu is 'Way Ahead of Where He Was Last Year'

Big things coming for Carolina's young left tackle.

Carolina couldn't believe NC State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu fell to them at No. 6 in last year's draft. They graded him as the top lineman in the draft and felt that he would be off the board at No. 5 to the Giants. Instead, New York went with Kayvon Thibodeaux and got their tackle two picks later in Evan Neal.

To this day, the Panthers are thrilled with how that draft went and it's not hard to see why. Ekwonu had a stellar rookie season and is already considered one of the top young tackles in the NFL, which is good news for rookie quarterback Bryce Young. 

As is the case for every lineman making the transition from college to the NFL, Ekwonu had some hiccups early in the year, particularly when facing some elite pass rushers right out of the gate such as Myles Garrett in Week 1. He had a few 'welcome to the NFL' moments but as the season went on, he cleaned up his technique and learned from his mistakes.

This year, Ekwonu is set to take his game to a whole other level, and offensive line coach James Campen sees it coming.

"Boy, he's really grown," Campen said. "I tell you and I know he wouldn't mind me saying this but the big thing is they were really run-oriented and jump-setting at NC State and teaching him how to vertical pass set at this level, he struggled for a few weeks. We got to about the middle of training camp and he started to figure things out. He is so far ahead of where he was last year and it's a testament to him. He's done work in the offseason before coming back and being in this environment with phase one, phase two. He's setting on the line, he's fluid. He's asking for change-up things to do with his hands, so he's way ahead of where he was last year."

With Bryce Young's small stature, it's very important that Ekwonu plays at an elite level and protects the face of the franchise's blindside. It also makes you wonder if the Panthers didn't have Ekwonu on the roster if the Panthers would have been as comfortable trading up to get Young. 

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