The Carolina Panthers looked destined to grab a quarterback.
Instead they grabbed a bookend tackle to keep him upright.
The Panthers picked a concensus top 5 pick, grabbing Ikem Ekwonu.
The big, 6-foot-4, 320 pounds tackle was selected Thursday at pick 7.
A consensus first-team All-American at N.C. State, the first since 2017, he’ll project to become an immediate starter.
True to his name, which means “my effort will not be in vain,” was a top prospect as far back as a year ago and ended up landing in the top 10.
