But as they watched the second day of the draft slip away, the anxiety over whether they’d be able to make a deal to get to him grew. Patriots coach Bill Belichick had to see if the Panthers were truly desperate, initially offering to trade them the 94th pick in exchange for Carolina’s 2023 second-rounder. That was a non-starter, and after a series of calls, they settled on next year’s third and a 2022 fourth-rounder.
There were some tense moments, but at a certain point, their feelings about the player made it an easy choice to make.
“This is the time. It’s time. Let’s do it,” Tepper said, as the trade with the Patriots went through.
Ekwonu was a much easier choice, but his selection also made for some cinematic gold.
Being able to get the left tackle of their dreams was nothing they expected to happen, and one of the show’s first scenes underscores that.
As Rhule and Fitterer went through the various scenarios of the five picks ahead of them (showing some Burt Reynolds/Dom DeLuise blooper-reel comedic timing along the way), they obviously couldn’t have planned the first five picks any better if they tried. When Rhule finally white-boarded a way in which Ekwonu would be there at six, they celebrated.
“So that’d be great, but there’s no way that happens,” Fitterer deadpanned as Rhule laughed. “That’d be too good.. . . Can this be in the outtakes, though?”