Ikem Ekwonu's NFL Debut Displayed 'Some Good, Some Bad'

It was a mixed bag for the Panthers rookie left tackle in Week 1.

Rookie left tackle Ikem Ekwonu played in all 53 snaps of the Carolina Panthers Week 1 matchup against the Cleveland Browns and his debut went as expected - some good, some bad according to head coach Matt Rhule.

"I thought Ickey showed good power in the run game. Going to the two sacks, I want to make sure I defend him a little bit. The one, to me, is a bad chip. We still expect Ickey to make that block but we had some chips that helped early on and that chip just wasn't good enough. And then the second one where he kind of comes clean, it's a three-step drop and Ickey is staying inside out, the ball's got to be out of the quarterback's hands. I'm sure Baker would be the first to tell you, he went to one side of the field and just kind of held the ball and if you hold the ball on a three-step versus a player like Myles [Garrett], it's going to happen. So some of the big, 'oh my gosh' moments weren't quite as bad. I thought he hung in there. He had some really good snaps too."

According to Pro Football Focus, Ekwonu graded out at 41.2. Going up against Myles Garrett in your first real NFL game will do that to you. 

"Definitely disappointed," Ekwonu said. "As an offensive lineman, you never want to give up a hit or pressure. You definitely don't want to give up a sack, so it's definitely something to learn from. [It's] probably just my technique more than anything. It's something I'll definitely look to get fixed with the coaching staff."

This week, Ekwonu will be tasked with protecting Mayfield from the likes of Azeez Ojulari and Leonard Williams. New York does a really good job of mixing up its fronts and rotating in different personnel packages, so Jihad Ward and Nick Williams will also get some shots at the rookie left tackle.

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