A massive player at 6’4″ and 320 pounds, Ikem Ekwonu is impressively built. Combining this with his athleticism, he was able to earn a starting spot as a true freshman. A First-Team All-ACC selection in 2021, he was also unanimously selected as a 2021 All-American. He led the Wolfpack with 50 pancake blocks in 2020 as well. A good athlete, he has the capability and experience to play both guard and tackle.Â
Ikem Ekwonu’s Strengths
First and foremost, Ekwonu is a bad man. Intensely physical at all times, he relishes the chance to punish his opponents. He is always looking for more work and truly plays until the echo of the whistle. The biggest reason Ekwonu is able to punish opponents so severely is due to his hand power. Capable of delivering huge blows, he routinely registers pancake blocks in the run game. On plays such as screens where he is able to get out in space, he moves adequately and does a good job finding his landmarks before leveling a smaller player.
This strength carries over to his pass set as well. Basically unable to be bull-rushed, his ability to anchor against power rushes is uncanny. Ekwonu is also a very smart football player as he knows exactly where to be on every play while also not forcing himself outside of his skillset. He wins with power and technique and he understands that.Â
Ikem Ekwonu is strong, light on his feet, versatile (OT & OG) and NASTY pic.twitter.com/GDIp07rTer
— Kyle (@marblekyle) January 14, 2022
Weaknesses
For all of the improvement that he has shown with his technique over the years, he is still not perfect. Currently, he likes to carry his hands low on his frame which can lead to some late punches. His strength and balance allow him to recover more often than not but he will be faced with much better players in the NFL. Getting his hands up earlier in the rep so he can always deliver the initial blow should be the first goal of his NFL coaching staff. His lateral mobility is also not the greatest which leaves him susceptible to inside rushes if he is not able to get his hands on defenders first. Over aggressiveness can hurt him against speed rushers at times as well but this certainly seems like it can be fixed.Â
Projection
Ekwonu will be a tone-setter in the NFL. While he is not a finished product, he will bring a physical mentality to whatever team selects him. One of the most physical players in the class, offensive line coaches all over the league will fall in love with him. Personally, I believe he will be a very good offensive tackle. However, he could quite easily move inside to guard if NFL speed proves to be too much for him. With his tools and physicality, he has the potential to be the first offensive tackle selected and is well worth a high first-round pick.Â
Top photo: Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press
