A good offensive line could make or break an offense, and that’s the mindset the Carolina Panthers took when they drafted left tackle Ikem Ekwonu with the 6th overall pick in the 2022 draft and left guard Chandler Zavala in the fourth round of the 2023 draft.
The Panthers look to finally solve their offensive line issues with Ekwonu in his second year and Zavala bringing fresh legs to the mix this upcoming season.
Ikem Ekwonu
The Panthers’ offensive line in 2021 was reeling from injuries and ranked as the second-worst offensive line in the league. Stepping into a lead role, Ekwonu greatly improved during his first season.
Ekwonu was one of four Carolina offensive linemen to start all 17 games throughout last year. Ekwonu also proved to be a staple on the offensive line, playing alongside Taylor Moton in all of the Panthers’ offensive snaps.
Ekwonu’s size is to his advantage: He stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 320 lbs. Ekwonu has also shown strength in pass protection, utilizing a fearsome left-hand jab to keep the defenders off their pursuit of the quarterback.
Not only is Ekwonu able to keep defenders out of rhythm, he has also displayed the ability to quickly recover after making mistakes. While every player — especially rookies — make mistakes, the best players make quick recoveries. Ekwonu has a never-give-up mindset when he plays, allowing anyone under center to scramble and salvage a couple of yards.
Chandler Zavala
The Panthers continued to emphasize protecting the quarterback this offseason by drafting Zavala with their fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft. Zavala came into the draft with some intriguing numbers out of NC State. Zavala played in all 12 regular season games for the Pack, and on 422 drops, Zavala only allowed four total pressures and no sacks.
Zavala has the ability to keep defenders off balance and rarely gets beat to the point of attack on dropbacks, meaning he hasn’t had to worry about recovering. Despite the numbers Zavala posted last season with the Pack, it’s clear that he has some potential to do damage for Carolina.
While Zavala may not be a starter immediately, there’s plenty of opportunity for him to make an impact in the case of an injury. With lineman Austin Corbett suffering a torn ACL late last season, Zavala may see opportunities on and off early in the year.
Bringing both of these linemen back together in Panthers blue, both will benefit from having Bryce Young as a consistent quarterback.
In Ekwonu’s rookie season in 2022, he blocked for three different quarterbacks — Baker Mayfield, PJ Walker and Sam Darnold. Zavala had a similar story, blocking for four different quarterbacks in five fewer games than Ekwonu. A consistent quarterback will benefit the entire offensive line.
