Peter Skoronski is Not A First Round Left Tackle in 2023 NFL Draft

Peter Skoronski is an aggressive street fighter at Northwestern.

He is not a technician at left tackle (LT) like Rashawn Slater was when he played there.

Slater could teach a clinic how to play the position, while Skoronski is the guy you want on your side in a bar-room brawl.

I love Skoronski’s physicality, aggression, and effort levels.

I just fear what the elite pass rushers in the NFL will do to him.

Franchise left tackles need to be polished

Skoronski is anything but polished.

He’s scrappy mauler, but he gave up the back door and got bulled back into the pocket one too many times to consider him as a franchise LT prospect.

Are there things to work with?

Sure, there are.

Skoronski would be a heck of a third-round pick, which is where developmental prospects with upside should get graded and selected. Maybe if a team is in love with him – – they take him in the second-round.

What’s the problem with Skoronski?

His feet and his technique with his hands are the problem.

Skoronski has a tendency to stop moving his feet towards the back door (back edge) of the pocket and begin losing.

His hand placement is even worse.

🚩It shouldn’t look like the LT is trying to give the edge rusher a hug in pass pro🚩

Skoronski often had outside hand placement at the point of attack. This caused him not only to get off balance, but also it left him susceptible to being bull rushed into the quarterback’s (QB) face.

Skoronski projecting to the right side?

As someone who has spent four years in pro scouting with the Jets, I would feel more comfortable projecting him to right tackle (RT), given what he showed me in these three games.

As my scouting mentor liked to say, “If someone shows you who they are, believe them!”

With the league’s premiere pass rushers tending to come off of the offense’s left side (blindside of right-handed QBs), I would feel better about Skoronski at RT.

A franchise LT has to be like a dancing ballerina – – and he has to show the consistent ability to gain control of an edge rusher inside the chest area by the numbers with his hands.

Skoronski just looks too out of control in pass pro at the college level to believe he can step in and do it at the next level.

Skoronski is one hell of a run blocker

I love offensive linemen who pancake defenders, and that’s Skoronski.

I absolutely love that about him.

Skoronski graded out as a much better run blocking than pass protecting in my notes.

#77 Peter Skoronski 6-foot-4, 315 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Grade: Third-Round – Early Fall 2022 Report

First Round Mock Big Board: TBD

Projected by 87.0% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of October 7, 2022 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2021 game film reviewed: Michigan State, Rutgers and Wisconsin

Level of competition: High

2021 stats: 81.4 and 83.8 overall grades (pff.com) for the past two seasons.

Note: Grandfather Bob Skoronski is a Hall-of-Fame tackle who played for Green Bay in the 1960s.

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report:

Tenacious athletic high-effort blocker with technique issues. Kicks out in pass pro but tends to engage too closely in proximity. Has long arms, but does not create separation to maintain control. Tends to place hands outside at the point of attack. Inconsistent continuing to slide with his feet. Can stop sliding and give up leverage at the back door. Even when losing, stays at it to compensate. Below average anchor on bull rushes. Handled stunts. Struggled against delayed blitzes. Punishing run blocker who shows off upper body strength and loves to drive defenders into the turf. Inconsistent sustaining long enough. Ends up on the ground a lot. Solid at the second level and in space. Interesting prospect with upside.

What to watch for during the 2022 college football season:

1. How does his hand and footwork look in pass pro?
2. Is he losing at the backdoor?
3. How is he against blitzes?
4. Does he stay healthy?

Skoronski’s 2021 game film didn’t suggest he should be a first-rounder.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated New York Jets and he is the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.