Panthers upgrade offensive line with Ekwonu at No. 6

The Carolina Panthers selected NC State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, No. 6 overall.

The Panthers entered the draft with a glaring need on their offensive line and had their pick of the top tackles after the top-five selections were used on defensive players. Carolina took Ekwonu over Alabama's Evan Neal and Mississippi State's Charles Cross.

Ekwonu - born in Charlotte, North Carolina - is the first offensive lineman drafted by the Panthers in the first round since Jeff Otah in 2008. He was a unanimous All-American last season.

The highly athletic 21-year-old projects to start at left tackle from Day 1. The NFC South club brought in guard Austin Corbett and center Bradley Bozeman in free agency to bolster a unit featuring top right tackle Taylor Moton.

Scouting profile: Ikem Ekwonu

Whether he's blowing an opponent off the ball, using his athleticism to make difficult assignments look easy, working to the second level to take out a linebacker, or finishing his blocks with a rare nastiness, Ekwonu is phenomenal to watch in the run game. There's work to do in pass protection, particularly when it comes to the timing of his punch and not oversetting or overextending to leave an inside lane open, but an NFL team can clean those things up. And with his athletic skill set, there's no reason to think he won't do it. Ekwonu has the makings of a long-term starter at either tackle spot in any scheme. Should he run into any major challenges in his development as a pass-protector in space, a transition to guard - where he could have All-Pro potential - provides an excellent fallback option.