Pass Protection: Ekiyor can struggle against speed in pass protection. He’s far more comfortable in a phonebooth against a rusher that’s got more power than speed. Ekiyor’s long legs cover plenty of ground in his kick slide in pass sets and can shuffle naturally.
Balance: Ekiyor has instances where his balance can be thrown off by a defender going across his face. In these instances, he tends to reach to the side rather than slide his feet and at that point the defender has him beat for the rep. I’d like to see Ekiyor play with his body more square and have his head avoid going over his feet.
Hand Placement: Hand placement can be hit or miss. Ekiyor lacks consistency and can be prone to overextending and whiffs.
Football IQ: Ekiyor can sometimes be a step or too slow in reacting and can be late off the snap. There were instances against Ole Miss and Miami where delayed blitzes caused problems in reacting and switching defenders.
Power: Ekiyor can bury defenders in the run game. He uses his size as an advantage when going downhill and finishes with a mean streak.
Anchor: Ekiyor has a passable anchor however he loses leverage battles too often in pass sets.
Flexibility: For his size, he’s got good lower body flexibility and ankle flexion.
Versatility: Ekiyor has played at both guard and center in his time with the Tide. His future is best at guard in a power-blocking scheme.
Movement Skills: Ekiyor has surprising movement skills for his size. In Alabama’s RPOs, Ekiyor kick slides from right guard to blocking outside of the left tackle and covers the ground in roughly one or two full steps.
Footwork/Foot Speed: Ekiyor’s footwork can use some cleaning up. He can shuffle himself out of plays. His foot speed is solid for his size. Overall, this area of his game can be summed up as “adequate”.