This past Thursday night, the Carolina Panthers invested one heck of an asset into North Carolina State University’s Ikem Ekwonu. That, however, doesn’t necessarily mean the 2022 NFL draft’s sixth overall pick is guaranteed the job many thought he was selected for.
Even with Ekwonu now in the fold, head coach Matt Rhule could still go a number of ways at the left tackle position—at least for the upcoming campaign. As the promising 21-year-old continues to develop his craft, possibly pushing him into the inside of the line come Week 1, Brady Christensen and Cameron Erving may remain options for the Panthers on the blindside.
But, these are all ifs here on May 4. And, according to Ellis L. Williams of The Charlotte Observer, there may be no ifs, ands or buts about who Carolina really wants to man that spot right away.
“I think there’s a really good chance,” Williams said of Ekwonu’s outlook as the Day 1 starter on Tuesday’s edition of The Nick Wilson Show. “I’m comfortable with putting it over 70 percent. I know there’s people inside that building who would say there’s a 100 percent chance of it.”
Although Ickey is still a work-in-progress as a pass protector, that’s not to say he won’t be effective in holding up against NFL edge rushers. In fact, Pro Football Focus charged him with just three sacks over 500 pass-blocking snaps in 2021.
For our early projection of what the Panthers’ offensive line could look like to start the campaign, we’d say bet on Ekwonu to undertake those all-important duties. That’ll likely leave Christensen at left guard, Bradley Bozeman at center, Austin Corbett at right guard, Taylor Moton at right tackle and Erving at left out.
