Tennessee Titans select Peter Skoronski with the 11th pick. Grade: A-
(Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports)
One does wonder whether Skoronski will be able to play tackle in the NFL, but at worst, he has everything it takes to be a Pro Bowl guard, and Zack Martin — who I compared him to — went 16th overall in the 2014 draft. So, this isn’t too far off. Skoronski is more of a high-floor player than a guy with a ridiculous ceiling, but the Titans so desperately need high floors on an offensive line in need of upheaval.
Height: 6′ 4″ (8th percentile) Weight: 313 (49th)
40-Yard Dash: 5.16 (70th)
10-Yard Split: 1.75 (73rd)
Bench Press: 30 reps (86th)
Vertical Jump: 34½” (97th)
Broad Jump: 115″ (96th)
3-Cone Drill: 7.8 (48th)
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: 79½” (9th)
Arm Length: 32¼” (4th)
Hand Size: 10″ (45th)
Bio: A four-star recruit out of Maine South High in Park Ridge, Illinois, Skoronski started getting college offers as a sophomore, but his status as a Northwestern fan sealed the deal. His grandfather, Bob Skoronski, played left tackle for the Packers from 1956 through 1968, winning five NFL titles and the first two Super Bowls under Vince Lombardi. Peter Skoronski was Freshman All-American in 2020 and immediately played left tackle for the Wildcats, as Rashawn Slater (now with the Chargers) opted out for the season due to COVID. Skoronski then made First Team All-Big Ten in 2021, and gathered up all the awards in 2022 — Unanimous All-American; First Team All-Big Ten; Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year. He had 33 starts in 33 games, all at left tackle.
Stat to Know: In 184 True Pass Set plays last season, Skoronski allowed one sack, one quarterback hit, and no quarterback hurries.
Strengths: Skoronski is able to overcome his “measurable deficiencies” because his technique is at a level to rival any offensive lineman in this class. He sets well straight-ahead and vertically, he has a smooth kick-step, and his uses his hands well to mirror the defender through the rep. His hands work well with his base.
Skoronski also does a very nice job of consistently getting his hands out first — he beats his opponent to the punch very well. This is another way he’s able to get past his arm length and keep rushers out of his radius.
If you want to project Skoronski as a guard, there are reps last season in which he’s inside another tackle in heavy sets, and his power to wrestle interior defenders to a draw or better is pretty impressive.
Weaknesses: NFL teams will obviously be interested to find reps in which Skoronski’s wingspan is an issue, and they’re out there. If he doesn’t come off the ball with leverage and target accuracy, things can get ugly for him in a hurry. He will get overwhelmed in these situations, and the recovery ability is limited.
And I’m not always in love with Skoronski’s ability to get to the next level with timing and accuracy — this would be a coaching point were he to convert to guard or center at the NFL level.
Conclusion: It’s not impossible for a tackle to succeed in the NFL with Skoronski’s height/weight profile — David Bakhtiari, Duane Brown, and Donald Penn are among those tackles in the 6-foot-4, 310-poundish range who have found favor in the league in the new millennium. And Skoronski brings enough refinement and technique to the position to make it a possible reality, despite the fact that his arm length doesn’t align with those guys. He’ll need to be with the right team and in the right system for that to happen, but Skoronski should be given the opportunity to at least try tackle before the seemingly inevitable move inside.
NFL Comparison: Zack Martin. It’s the automatic comparison for every top-level tackle who kicks to guard at the next level, but in Skoronski’s case, it’s a good fit with his power, technical refinement, and playing demeanor. A tackle at Notre Dame, Martin was selected by the Cowboys with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft, and he’s racked up eight Pro Bowls and six All-Pro nods since. I do think that Skoronski will be better inside, but it’ll be an acceptable compromise if he maximizes his attributes there.
