Ikem Ekwonu had a rough 2023 season.
The starting offensive tackle was responsible for numerous sacks, making starting quarterback Bryce Young's life harder than it had to be.
As a result, Pro Football Focus labeled Ekwonu as one of 10 players with a lot to prove heading into the 2024 season.
"The NC State product definitely hasn’t been as bad as Evan Neal, who went one pick below him in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he hasn’t been a superstar, either," Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus writes. "Ekwonu has posted mediocre pass-blocking grades through two seasons, with neither 2022 nor 2023 finishing with above a 67.5 in that department. Then again, Ekwonu improved his run-blocking last year, bumping it from 64.0 grade to 77.0."
Locker continues: "Year 3 is pivotal for any first-round pick, with the fifth-year option decision looming the ensuing summer. As of now, it would be hard to envision Carolina picking up Ekwonu’s option, but a year playing with an improved offense overall could spell better things for the tackle."
Ekwonu knows he didn't live up to his potential during the 2023 season. He described it as a humbling experience at the end of May.
Heading into a make-or-break season, he knows he has to produce if the Panthers offense is going to be any better come late summer.
"Honestly, it was a tough year last year, struggling in a lot of aspects and sometimes it's hard not to get down on yourself, but having some of these guys in your corner to always lift you up, to show you that's not necessarily who you are—you might make a mistake," Ekwonu said, via the Panthers' official website.
"You might play bad, but it doesn't mean you're a bad player. So, I got to have some of those guys and kind of just keep that going in my head, that helps a lot."
With a bounce-back season in the works, Ekwonu is eager to take up the mantle as the best tackle on the roster.
