North Carolina State OT Ikem Ekwonu

6-foot-4
310 pounds

Yahoo Sports' 2022 NFL draft grade

6.53 — certain first-round prospect; immediate-impact prospect

TL;DR scouting report

Road-grading left tackle whose improvement in pass protection, football and personal character and unusual athletic profile could portend greatness in time

The skinny

A 3-star Rivals recruit, Ekwonu flew beneath the radar out of high school (even compared to the attention paid to his twin brother) but quickly adapted to college football and won a starting job as a true freshman for the Wolfpack. Ekwonu started the final seven games in 2019 at left tackle before toggling between left tackle and left guard in 2020, earning second-team all-conference at both positions. In 2021, Ekwonu was back at left tackle full time and was named to various All-America teams before declaring for the 2022 NFL draft.

Upside

• Plus, plus personal character and intelligence — raised in a family of overachievers and well-respected by coaches and teammates

• Great work ethic, football character and commitment to weight room and conditioning

• Quick study who takes to coaching and wants to be great, especially in mental part of game

• Unusual combination of athletic traits on display in strong combine workout

• Good flexibility — can bend trunk and torque body to stall rushers

• Great length (34-inch arms) despite average height

• Rare, elite pop and power generated from thick lower half and hips

• Plays with low center of gravity

• Extends arms and delivers a blow — pancakes galore in the run game as well as on screens

• Mean streak obvious on tape — seeks to bury opponents early and often

• Strong, forceful hands — doesn't let go once he's latched onto defenders

• Rolls off the ball with flat back, churns feet on contact and washes defenders down the line

• Can create instantaneous movement in short-yardage situations

• Clear improvement in pass protection over past two seasons

• More patient and balanced in pass sets, with improved recovery ability

• Nice 45-degree sets on tape in 2021 — quick, decisive and effective

• Started games at left tackle an left guard; could be relatively seamless RT convert, too

• Displayed impressive stamina in 101-snap performance in OT win over Clemson

• High-floor prospect with less bust potential than other expected high picks

• Might be able to add 15-20 pounds of mass over time

• Immense upside as age-21 prospect; turns 22 on Halloween

Downside

• Work-in-progress pass blocker who can get hands, feet out of sync

• Inconsistent fundamentals that require cleanup

• Will mistime punches and lose leverage and balance

• Shoots hands too wide, which negates length advantage

• Good feet but can get crossed up from time to time

• Guilty of waist bending

• Can be too aggressive and play out over his skis

• A bit spotty in mirroring and can hop and lunge

• Lacks prototypical mass, elite lateral quickness for left tackle — looks like a guard getting off the bus

• Not as fluid a pass protector as other similarly sized recent high picks, such as Rashawn Slater and Jedrick Wills

• Worked over a bit by Florida State's Jermaine Johnson II in 2021

• Will miss some landmarks when working to second level

• Might require Year 1 patience — could take some lumps early adjusting to elite speed rushers and hand technicians

Best-suited destination

Ekwonu, who might be in the mix to be picked first overall, might not be your typical top-five prospect because there's development work required and his pro position — guard or tackle? — will be a team-by-team debate. But with a patient OL coach and an offense that doesn't abandon the run game, he has star potential. Ekwonu isn't a finished product, but it's hard to imagine him flopping in the NFL because of his good tangibles and elite intangibles. In a weaker top of the draft, he's something of a higher-floor prospect with room to grow over time.

Did you know

Ekwonu's backstory is fascinating — and we tried to detail as much of it as possible when we profiled him in February.

Player comp

Ekwonu has a similar football makeup to La'el Collins but without the character concerns coming out.

Expected draft range

Possible top-five pick