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Potential No. 1 overall picks Evan Neal, Ikem Ekwonu take center stage Friday at NFL combine

INDIANAPOLIS — Before Ikem Ekwonu was one of the best offensive linemen in college football, he had a short-lived career in musical theatre.

Ekwonu said at Thursday's NFL combine he appeared in several productions as a fifth grader growing up in Charlotte, NC.

He was a background character in "The Jungle Book." He played an alley cat in "The Aristocats." Eventually, he landed the lead as Pongo in "101 Dalmatians."

"That was a big step for me," Ekwonu said Thursday at the NFL combine. "He's the father of all the dogs. Throughout the whole show, I'm looking for my babies.