North Carolina born and North Carolina bred, offensive tackle Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu is staying home—and he couldn’t be more thrilled about it.
On Thursday night, the Carolina Panthers somehow nabbed their guy and, presumably, their left tackle of the near future with the 2022 NFL draft’s sixth overall pick. And Ekwonu, who is a native of the organization’s home in Charlotte, N.C., was probably just as amazed at the result as everyone else.
“This a dream come true,” he told the NFL Network after the announcement. “This whole moment just feels so surreal. The fact that I’ve been growing up being a Carolina Panthers fan and now I’m about to be in that building is really just crazy to me.”
The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder played his high school ball at Providence Day School in Charlotte. He’d then move on, of course, to North Carolina State University in 2019—passing over the likes of Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Now, this is where we’d wish Ekwonu a warm welcome back home. But he’s already there.
