Ickey Ekwonu is ready to “dominate”

Ekwonu recalled growing up watching Panthers games, being a fan of Cam Newton and Greg Olsen. He said he’s watched a little film of left tackle Jordan Gross, but it’s another Panthers legend he seems to identify with.

“Steve Smith, I just loved the mindset he had to come into the game and wanted to dominate people,” Ekwonu said. “There’s a lot of different ways you can dominate people on the field. I feel like as a wide receiver Steve Smith definitely put that on film.”

While Smith did it as a little guy, Ekwonu has the kind of size to overpower opponents in a different way.

The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder admits he’s still evolving as a player. He played some guard at N.C. State, and said he’d do whatever a team wanted him to do, but left tackles of his ability are rare.

“I feel like I’m definitely barely scratching the surface of my potential at left tackle,” he said. “And I feel like with some more development, a little more refinement at my game, I can definitely be great at that position.”

That appears to be the consensus opinion, as Ekwonu’s projected to be one of the top three tackles in this year’s draft, and possibly the first overall pick. He’s met with the Jaguars (owner of that first pick) and is among the players at the position the Panthers are investigating closely with that sixth pick.

While he’s a mauling blocker, he does acknowledge his need to become more technically sound, which he’s tried to communicate to teams in meetings.

“I just want coaches to understand I’m not just a run-blocking meathead,” he said. “I have a lot of football IQ, and I love talking about the game with coaches and learning. I’ve never been shy about putting the work in and refining my game. Any weaknesses in pass protection, I just want the coaches and the GMs to know I’m going to get that fixed.”

Mostly, he talks about overwhelming opponents.

“My physicality, my dominating nature,” he replied when asked about his strengths. “I love running to the ball, whether that’s helping a teammate up or finding someone I can just hit. I chase the ball, I chase plays, and I just feel like a lot of my most dominating plays are made downfield, so I feel like that’s one of my biggest strengths.”

That, and singing. And just about anything else he puts his mind to.