SPARTANBURG, S.C. (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) – Though he may be the next big thing to Panther fans, Carolina head coach Matt Rhule still considers Ickey Ekwonu an unproven newcomer.
“To me, Ickey is a rookie,” Rhule said Wednesday after practice. “He’s got to earn everything he gets, and he’s got a long way to go.”
Since getting picked 6th in the 2022 NFL draft, the starting offensive tackle position was never a given for the Charlotte native.
Now, more than a week into training camp, it still seems he’s battling Brady Christensen for the job.
“He does some things really well naturally,” Rhule explained. “But there’s a lot to this game.”
Rhule’s most significant concern with Ekwonu is his ability to block for the run game. In college at N.C. State, he could outmuscle the opposition. Now in the pros, it’s a different story.
“At this level, it’s hard to overpower guys; you have to have great technique,” The Panthers’ third-year leader said.
And that technique comes from cold hard NFL experience.
The consensus around the team is that he’ll figure it out. It just might not be as quickly as everyone would like.
“Mentally, he may not be caught up as some of the other guys, but I think with time and learning, he’s going to be a great player,” said defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos.
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For his part, the 6-4, 320-pounder knows he has work to do, but it doesn’t sound like he’s afraid to take on the challenge.
“That goes to how I practice and how I prepare,” said Ekwonu.
And it’s also how he will improve.