Sunday marks the last day of the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, but it appears the event was one where the Jacksonville Jaguars were pretty productive. With needs on the offensive line, that included getting to interview the top-2 offensive tackles in the class in Evan Neal and Ikem Ekwonu, both of whom could help them tremendously.
When April rolls around and the Jags are on the clock, both players may be under consideration to be taken first overall by the team. It’s also possible that their grades won’t be significantly different, though Vegas gives Neal the slight edge.
Both offer versatility and have played guard at some point in college. Both had pass-blocking grades of over 83.5 and run-blocking grades over 78.2, according to Pro Football Focus. And lastly, both have played in over 35 games and will come into the NFL with a good amount of experience.
However, when looking at the difference in both prospects, one could see why the Jags would prefer one over the other. In Neal’s case, he’s played in the best conference in college football coming from the Southeastern Conference. He also has the edge in height at 6-foot-7 (Ekwonu is 6-foot-4).
Meanwhile, when looking at what has been said about Ekwonu, there are several who feel be my be the better run blocker of the two, as well as the more explosive player of the two. That would be huge for notables Travis Etienne and James Robinson, who figure to be a big part of the Jags’ offense.
When considering all these factors, it appears the Jags’ potential decision (if it hasn’t been made already) between the two tackles isn’t going to be as easy as it looked in January. Regardless of what they decide, we won’t know until late April. However, that doesn’t mean the fans can’t debate over their preference.
That said, let us know in the poll below about which offensive tackle you would prefer between Neal and Ekwonu if the Jags want to add a blindside protector to kick the draft off.
In this week’s episode of “Touchdown Jaguars!” we looked at the top needs for the Jags heading into the NFL Combine. Progressing forward, we will continue to put out weekly episodes, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast, which will discuss the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and also feel free to rate and comment.
