5 pivotal matchups in the Browns season opener

1. Myles Garrett vs Ikem Ekwonu

The Carolina Panthers selected Ikem Ekwonu with the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Ekwonu wasn’t only the first offensive tackle selected, he was the first offensive player of any position to hear his name called on draft night.

And what prey tell does Ekwonu get as his door prize? Oh, just to go up against the best defensive end in the league for his NFL debut…Myles Garrett. You would be hard-pressed to find a tougher first-action matchup in the NFL this season.

Ekwonu has all the elite physical traits you could ask for out of a rookie left tackle, but there is nothing that can prepare anyone to deal with the size, agility, power, and speed combination that Garrett brings to the table. It is going to be sink or swim from the opening whistle for the rookie. Surely Carolina will do all they can with chip blocks, sliding protections, and moving the pocket to give Ekwonu a fighting chance in his debut.

It is a harsh scenario for any offensive lineman, you could do your job on 90% of your snaps and still be viewed as getting destroyed. But getting got by Garrett is inevitable during the course of sixty minutes. Garrett is too far along in the development of his game to be shut out by any left tackle, let alone a rookie making his NFL debut.

But on the bright side for Ekwonu, the rest of the season will seem like a breeze after Sunday.