2022 NFL Draft Profiles: Should Ikem Ekwonu Be a Darkhorse Option for the Jaguars at No. 1?
The 2022 NFL Draft season is upon us.
Among the 32 teams building their rosters to compete for the next Lombardi Trophy is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold 12 picks in this season’s draft -- including the No. 1 overall pick. The Jaguars are entering a new era after the Urban Meyer tenure, making this draft as pivotal as one could imagine.
As we march closer and closer to April’s draft, we will look at individual draft prospects and how they would potentially fit with the Jaguars. Instead of looking at any negatives, we are going to look at what the players do well and if they could match what the Jaguars need at the specific role or position.
In our next prospect breakdown, we take a look at one of this year's biggest risers in North Carolina State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu. A surprise pick at No. 1 overall in several mock drafts already this cycle, we take a look at whether Ekwonu makes sense for the Jaguars at the top of this year's draft.
Overview
A three-star prospect entering college according to 247Sports, Ikem Ekwonu was the site's No. 612 ranked player nationally and No. 36 offensive guard in the 2019 class. A North Carolina native, Ekwonu opted to join North Carolina State over offers from UNC, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Charlotte, and Appalachian State.
A 6-foot-4, 320 pound lineman, Ekwonu will enter the NFL having experience at several positions. He started the final seven games of NC State's 2019 season at left tackle, becoming the first true freshman at NC State to start at tackle since 2010.
After a successful freshman season, Ekwonu split time at left tackle and left guard in 2020. He started four games at guard and six at tackle, displaying versatility that could help him become a top pick once April rolls around. Thanks to a solid sophomore season, Ekwonu was named second-team All ACC honors from the Associated Press at both guard and tackle.
Ekwonu had arguably his best season in 2021, starting another 11 games and earning unanimous All-American honors, as well as earning All-ACC placement and being named the Jacobs Blocking Award winner as the ACC's top lineman. Thanks to a third successful season, Ekwonu was able to declare for the draft with his name already near the top of many rankings.
What Ikem Ekwonu Does Well
There isn't another player in this class so far who we have seen on tape that is as simply physical and powerful as Ikem Ekwonu. Football often comes down to the simple act of being the more physically dominant team, and Ekwonu genuinely provides highlight-reel level blocks at each level to represent that kind of dominance. In terms of setting a tone in the run game, Ekwonu looks like the cream of the crop.
A big reason for Ekwonu's success in the run game is his rare blend of size, strength, and athleticism. Ekwonu is not only incredibly explosive when firing off the ball, but he is simply a marvel to watch in space. Whether on screens or as a puller, Ekwonu's ability to eat up ground and deliver powerful strikes and blocks on the move at his size is a big plus for any running game.
Thanks to Ekwonu's ability to get on the move with ease, he is a devastating blocker on the perimeter and at the second level, frequently delivering pancake blocks and highlight-level wipeouts of linebackers and safeties. He is also a special talent when it comes to creating movement in the trenches, with him able to simply steamroll defenders from any alignment. He is an elite run blocker no matter which way you cut it, and he shows the body control and power to fit really any blocking scheme.
As a pass-blocker, Ekwonu's light feet for his size and his ability to match the speed and twitch of smaller pass-rushers is impressive. He has had issues with balance and bending at the waist, but he showed a lot of improvement in this regard in 2021 and has become stronger as a pass-blocker with each season.
Aside from his feet, Ekwonu's powerful punch and overall strength are what aid him the most. He can shock defenders on first contact, stopping their momentum and shutting down their rush from the start of the play as long as he is able to stay within their frames. Combine this with quickness to mirror defenders and he has flashed the ability to look the part of a blindside pass protector.
How Ikem Ekwonu Would Fit With the Jaguars
There is some debate about where Ekwonu fits best at the NFL level, with some analysts grading him as an offensive guard and some as a tackle. With the Jaguars picking at No. 1 overall, however, it can be assumed that any lineman they draft will be a tackle. Ekwonu would likely slot in to play left tackle in this scenario, the position he has spent the most time at during his career.
In terms of fitting with the Jaguars at left tackle, I do think Ekwonu is the type of high-ceiling player who could change the Jaguars' screen game and greatly help a running game that fizzled out as the season progressed. The Jaguars have several offensive linemen entering free agency in March, including veteran left tackle Cam Robinson, so there is an argument that taking a high-ceiling offensive lineman to protect Trevor Lawrence is a good move for an offense that simply needs more talent.
There is a question of how the Jaguars would sort out right tackle in this scenario. Ekwonu never took a start at right tackle in college and should be considered solely a left tackle at this point, leaving 2021 second-rounder Walker Little and 2019 second-rounder Jawaan Taylor to sort things out. Taylor has 48 games of starting experience but has struggled with penalties and inconsistency, while Little's small sample size came in three starts at left tackle.
One outside-the-box way Ekwonu could fit with the Jaguars is as a left guard. The Jaguars have veteran left guard Andrew Norwell set to hit free agency, and they can't even immediately replace him with 2020 draft pick Ben Bartch due to right guard A.J. Cann's impending free agency. Taking a guard in the top-3 let alone No. 1 overall would be a bizarre allocation of resources, but Ekwonu does have the ability to play multiple roles for a Jaguars team that could need him to do exactly that.
Verdict
I am a big fan of Ekwonu's game. He isn't a finished product as a pass-blocker and likely has a ways to go before he can get to where he needs to be in that regard, but he is a freak of nature in terms of tools, has the kind of feet that gives you hope he can develop as an edge protector, and is a genuinely elite run blocker in every sense.
Ekwonu is a big of a riskier prospect than Evan Neal due to some of his technique issues in pass-protection, but he does arguably have a higher ceiling, if not eerily similar. As such, I do not think Ekwonu makes sense at No. 1 overall, but he could be an ideal trade-down option.
For all of our 2022 NFL Draft profiles, click below.
