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Carolina Panthers make big decision on left tackle Ickey Ekwonu

The Panthers broke some news in the seventh rond of the 2025 NFL draft.
Tim Weaver|
Oct 13, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu (79) before the game at Bank of America Stadium.
Oct 13, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu (79) before the game at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers have decided to pick up the fifth-year option for their 2023 first-round draft pick, left tackle Ickey Ekwonu. A sixth overall pick that year out of North Carolina State, Ekwonu didn't exactly hit the ground running in the NFL in the way you'd hope from out of a top-10 overall pick. However, Ekwonu has steadily improved over time and took a big step forward in 2024.

For the year Ekwonu earned a strong 80.5 run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus to go with a 66.2 in pass blocking. That second mark will need to improve, but as of yet he hasn't had a break-through in this department, earning grades of 67.5, 62.3 and 66.2 in three years.

In case you're wondering, the cost of Ekwonu's fifth-year option will come out to $17,560,000. All of that will be fully guaranteed, unless of course the Panthers sign Ekwonu to an extension before then.

Whether that happens or not will depend a great deal on how Ekwonu performs in 2025. If he can take the next step and start playing at a Pro Bowl level, there's a strong case to give him a lucrative long-term deal. However, if he regresses or doesn't show improvement it might be best to let him play out that option and then re-evaluate from there.

As for how this impacts Carolina's plans, most likely it explains why they have passed on offensive tackle prospects in the draft after sniffing around a few of them in the pre-draft process.

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Tim Weaver
TIM WEAVER

Tim Weaver has been writing about the NFL since the 2013 season for multiple teams and outlets, including USA Today and The Sporting News. He currently covers the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers for On SI.