Peter Skoronski is not a Hall of Fame Tackle or Guard

The hype leading up to the draft can get extreme, but the hype surrounding Northwestern offensive lineman Peter Skoronski has gone off the rails.

All you have to do is take one look at Skoronski’s body to see he doesn’t have the body type of a starting left tackle in the National Football League.

I say left tackle, because that’s the position he was playing at Northwestern, and many believe he will play that position at the next level.

Honestly, if someone showed me this picture and blurred out the Northwestern helmet and jersey, I would think I am looking at a DIII offensive tackle based on body type.

Some project him to be moved to offensive guard (which better fits his body type) at the next level because they can see what I have been saying since my October 7 article, “Peter Skoronski is Not A First Round Left Tackle in 2023 NFL Draft.“

Regardless of the position, Skoronski should not be projecting into the first-round, period.

Not because of what I say, but because of what his game film says.

There’s nothing special about him on game film. He doesn’t show any dominant or elite traits.

Where are the sandbags?

That has not stopped mainstream media from flooding our devices with first-round grades for this Northwestern offensive lineman.

CBS, Pro Football Focus, Walter Football, Sporting News, Fox Sports, Pro Football Network, Draftwire, Fansided, Yahoo Sports, Barstool Sports, 247Sports, USA Today, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, The 33rd Team, Draft Kings, SB Nation and NFL.com have all tagged Skoronski with a first-round grade in the month of April!

What sense does that make to put a first-round grade on a limited try-hard offensive lineman with very looking average athletic ability and blocking techniques?

It gets worse

I mean I understand the media is “click-happy” and motivated by clicks. I get that.

However, what I don’t understand is how any NFL Scouts could mention “Peter Skononski” and “Hall of Fame” in the same sentence.

Did they really?

I mean it’s one thing for the media to mock Skoronski into the first round for whatever reason, but NFL Scouts are actually talking about Skoronski being a potential Hall of Fame prospect?

Whoa!

Skoronski is no Rashawn Slater

Prior to Skoronski playing left tackle at Northwestern, Rashawn Slater held down the position for the Wildcats. I wrote this 2021 pre-draft evaluation of Slater, when I described him as a franchise left tackle.

When I compare Slater’s college game film to the nine games I’ve studied Skoronski, Slater looked superior in every possible way imaginable.

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

Daniel Kelly’s Final 2023 NFL Draft Grade: Third-Round Tackle/Guard (I would select him)

Projected by 95.8% (up from 91.7% on December 22) of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of April 22, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Previous article featuring 2022 game film: Peter Skoronski is an Elite Run Blocker

2022 game film evaluated for this article: Illinois, Ohio State, and Maryland

Note: Had increased inconsistency as a run blocker in these three games in 2022 compared to the other three games in 2022 studied.

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

High effort try hard blocker in pass and run blocking with average athletic ability. Fast first step, but inconsistent hand and footwork after initial shallow setup in pass pro. Tendency to street fight. Brawler. Not a polished technician. Hands can slip outside or high around pad level. Lacks the lateral foot speed and footwork to stay square when pass-rushers squeeze the edge. To his credit at the college level he did get the job done a high percentage of the time, but looked for speed rushers to give him problems at the next level. Mixed results on running plays, but gave it his all. Limited area success when controlling blocks with leverage or holding the point. Pushes and shoves. Inconsistent sustain. Often did just enough or not enough and his man ended up in position. Inconsistent results at the second level and in space.

Final words

Skoronski reached his ceiling in college.

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.