After the Jacksonville Jaguars decided to franchise tag tackle Cam Robinson and sign free agent guard Brandon Scherff, many switched their predictions of the team taking an offensive lineman first overall. However, with the need for one more starting offensive lineman, the possibility shouldn’t be completely off the table.
If the Jags do still decide to take an offensive lineman, Evan Neal is the consensus pick for most, but Ikem Ekwonu is a name that some viewed as a dark horse candidate to be the choice. It appears those predictions were fair as N.C. State coach, Dave Doeren, revealed that the Jags were one of three teams who’ve shown the most interest in Ekwonu in a recent media conference.
"We know the Jaguars really like him. The Jets really like him. The Giants really like him…He was there to support his teammates and there to cheer every guy on in every drill…He's put himself in a really good position." — Doeren on Ekwonu and Pro Day
— Pack Pride (@PackPride) March 30, 2022
This isn’t a surprise due to Ekwonu’s versatility as he’s played guard, too. And while it feels like he’s unlikely to be the No. 1 overall pick for the Jags, he is an option worth taking if they can trade out of the pick, and there is nothing wrong with being ready to take him if that scenario occurred.
Ekwonu had his pro day this week and participated in the bench press where he put up 26 reps. That came after he did just about everything else at the combine, including running the 40-yard dash (registered a 4.93).
With a franchise quarterback like Trevor Lawrence on the team, adding a powerful lineman like Ekwonu wouldn’t be a bad thing. Right now, it looks like Robinson will be back on the blindside while Walker Little and Jawaan Taylor will battle at right tackle. But even in that scenario, the Jags could draft Ekwonu, put him at guard for a year, and shuffle him to Robinson’s spot after the franchise tag is up.