2022 NFL Draft: Why Ikem Ekwonu is draft's most well-rounded prospect

By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports NFL Writer

Ikem Ekwonu’s ambitious and high-achieving family has served as motivation for him to develop into one of the best offensive linemen in this year’s draft.

Ekwonu’s father, Tagbo, was a 6-foot-6 college basketball player at the University of Nigeria, where he studied to become a doctor. Tagbo immigrated from his native Nigeria to the United States in the 1990s and is a practicing family physician in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Ekwonu’s mother, Nwamaka, was a high school sprinter in Nigeria, became an accountant and now manages the family medical business.

Ekwonu’s older brother, Chike, was a talented wrestler in high school and now works as an animator. Older sister Adaora was a state champion shot-putter and is now attending medical school at the University of Chicago. Ekwonu’s fraternal twin brother, Osita, is a linebacker at Notre Dame. 

That's a lot of success to live up to, but none of them will be a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday. Ekwonu said he plans to be in Las Vegas for the draft, and his eclectic family will be there to celebrate the moment with him.

"I’ve always had great support by my family," Ekwonu said during his pro day at NC State. "We’re all very passionate about different things. For me and my brother, it’s football. For my older sister, it’s medical school. For my older brother, it’s animation and graphic design. So we all have different passions, and we were free to pursue them — as long as our grades were good."

Growing up, Ekwonu also had interest in musical theater, playing roles in "The Jungle Book," "The Aristocats" and "101 Dalmatians" at a summer theater camp as a teenager.

But football ultimately won out. A youth coach gave Ikem the nickname "Ickey" because of his resemblance to former Cincinnati Bengals running back Ickey Woods. Ekwonu said his dream position was running back, and he learned to do the "Ickey Shuffle" as a young football player in Pop Warner.

A renaissance man, Ekwonu had offers from Harvard and Yale coming out of high school. But he ultimately picked NC State, where he specialized in pulverizing defenders, driving them into the ground. Ekwonu earned 154 syrup bottles for his pancake blocks during his time in Raleigh, including 67 in his final season for the Wolfpack.

"I feel like you ask anybody back at State, they are going to tell you I have the most fun on the field," he said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I just love this game so much. I love the offensive line. I love being able to impose my will when I go against a defender.

"That’s something I take a lot of pride in. Every time I go on the field and put the helmet on, I have a lot of fun with this game and dominating people. That’s one of the best parts of the job."

Along with his physicality and tenacity, athleticism is Ekwonu’s calling card. At 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, he ran the 40 in 4.93 seconds at the combine and posted a 9-foot broad jump.

Ekwonu’s full first name is Ikemefun, which means: "My effort will not be in vain." His father got the name from a character in Nigerian author Chinua Achebe’s book "Things Fall Apart." Fittingly, Ekwonu steadily improved at North Carolina State, where he started seven games at left tackle his freshman season. He kicked inside to right guard his sophomore season, starting four games there and then moving back outside to left tackle for the final eight games of his sophomore season.

In 2021, Ekwonu started all 12 games at left tackle, making first-team Associated Press All-American and being named a finalist for the Outland Trophy.

"He’s just a brawler," said Rob Rang, NFL draft analyst for FOX Sports. "He’s got a guard-like build, shorter and squattier, but he’s got the arm length. His wingspan is obscene; it’s like a 7-foot wingspan. So he’s got length, he’s agile, he's really aggressive, really physical. 

"Some clubs are going to view him more as a guard than as a tackle just because he’s a little shorter and squattier. If you move him inside to guard, you’re talking about a perennial Pro Bowler. He can be a very successful tackle as well.

"And then all the off-field stuff about him, he’s an unbelievable kid. That's even more reason to think this is a guy who’s going to be a longtime, franchise-foundational piece. He’s just as well-rounded as you can get. He’s one of my favorite players in the draft, and I think I’m certainly not alone in that." 

Ekwonu is one of four offensive line prospects who could go in the top half of the first round. Others include Alabama’s Evan Neal, Mississippi State's Charles Cross and Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning. In his final 2022 mock draft, Rang has Ekwonu going No. 4 overall to the Jets. 

While Ekwonu is a tone-setter in the run game, NFL teams have questions about his inconsistent play as a pass-blocker. However, Paul Alexander, a longtime NFL offensive line coach who now works with prospects trying to make it to the league, believes Ekwonu can be a left tackle at the next level.

"I like him," Alexander said. "He flashes quick-twitch ability. He can sustain blocks, and when he loses, it’s technical, not physical. Some say he’s a guard, but I think he can play tackle. Right now, he’s better in the run game than the pass game.

"He has really nice upside. He’s got a great combination of movement, quickness and explosion."

Not to mention a great combination of genes.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @eric_d_williams.