INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 04: Offensive lineman Peter Skoronski of Northwestern speaks to the media during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 04, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Could Peter Skoronski be a guy the Eagles have their sights on at pick 10?  

If Eagles fans got their way, the Eagles would be taking either a defensive lineman or a cornerback. DL in particular is a much larger need, and the Eagles are in desperate need of young corners. But this is Howie Roseman we are talking about. As long as he has a first-round pick, there is a chance that pick will be spent on an offensive lineman. Even when there is not an immediate need along the O-Line.

Sometimes that works out. Landon Dickerson was not expected to see the field much during his rookie year after the Eagles spent a 2nd round pick on him. But an injury to Isaac Seumalo opened up a spot for him. He played so well that he became the permanent Left Guard. Last year they spent their second-round pick on Cam Jurgens even though Jason Kelce was returning another season. A few years before that, they spent a first on Andre Dillard even though Jason Peters was still on the team.

Offensive line not being an immediate need has never stopped Howie from taking an Offensive lineman. So even though there may be more immediate needs, no one should be surprised if at pick 10 it is an OT or OG coming off the board. Even with Lane Johnson still being the best OT arguably in the league.

And if they are going to go Offensive Line at pick 10, Peter Skoronski is certainly a name worth considering. The Northwestern OT is considered one of the best Offensive Linemen in the draft. But is he good enough to justify the pick at 10? Would he be a better option at RG than Cam Jurgens?

Here are 5 things worth knowing about Peter Skoronski:  

  • A Brick Wall On The Blindside

    Northwestern QB Ryan Hilinski very rarely had to worry about his blindside with Skoronski protecting it. In 12 games, Skoronski gave up just 6 pressures, and only 1 sack. A figure that will allow him to fit in very well between Lane Johnson (0 sacks) and Jason Kelce (0 sacks). And that is not a new trend for Skoronski. Across his 3 seasons at Northwestern, he gave up just 5 sacks across 1258 pass-blocking snaps in 33 games. That is 1 sack per 252 snaps. 

    In that same time, he allowed his QB to be hit just 12 times and hurried only 26 times. These are elite college numbers. Northwestern was able for 3 years to effectively erase whoever the other team put on on that side of the line. 

  • Expected To Transition To Guard in the NFL

    Skoronski was a hell of an OT in college. But his short arms for the position has most scouts projecting him to move inside. Those scouts could be right. He may not be the best fit at Tackle in the NFL. The good thing for the Eagles, is it does not really matter for them. The only path to playing time for Skoronski here is to move to RG. Lane Johnson is getting older, but he is still the best OT in the game, and just signed an extension. Jordan Mailata is signed here for at least two more seasons, with an option for a 3rd 

    The Eagles have an opening at RG with Isaac Seumalo leaving. Right now Cam Jurgens is expected to move there with Jason Kelce returning for another season. But Jurgens’ size could be an issue at Guard. Regardless, competition could never hurt. If they did take Skoronski, one of them would start, and the other would sit. Eventually, Jurgens will replace Kelce anyway. And as we already established, the Eagles are not afraid of using picks on someone they don’t plan to play right away.  

    Skoronski is considered a Pro Ready prospect, and many think he can start and excel at Guard right out of college. Perhaps later in his career here, he would slide outside. He did play at LT his entire time at Northwestern and did so at a high level. But that would be at least 2 seasons from now. For now, his only path to playing time is at Guard. 

  • Faced Elite Competition In College

    The hardest part about judging players in the draft is how they will fare vs NFL talent. In college, you play against the best 7.5% of athletes in the sport. In the pros, you are competing vs the top .023%. And that’s just who makes it to the pros from High School. If you counted just who is good enough to actually get a role on a team, it is even lower.  

    The best thing you can judge is how they play vs other guys who will go high in the draft. Well, playing in the Big 10 gave him plenty of chances to do that. And he passed those tests with high marks. Ohio State has a long pedigree of producing NFL Edge Rushers. Skoronski gave up just one pressure when Northwestern played them this year. And a year earlier when he faced future 2nd overall pick Aidan Hutchinson, he did this to him. 

    With that said, there was at least one incident where a top DE prospect got one over Peter Skoronski. As noted in the article about Lukas Van Ness, the Iowa DE did this to him. 

    But for the most part, any tape of Skoronski facing other NFL prospects, favors the big guy. He played in one of the toughest conferences to be an OT and did so at a very high level. That does not mean he is a lock to succeed in the NFL. But it does give him a pretty damn good chance at it.  

  • His Grandfather Protected Bart Starr's Blindside

    When Peter gets drafted, he will not be the first Skoronski to make it to the NFL. His father never made it out of college football. But his grandfather was a cornerstone for the Vince Lombardi Packers. Bob Skoronski protected Bart Starr’s blindside from 1959 to 1968. Helping the Packers win 2 Super Bowls and 5 NFL Championships.  

    He actually joined the Packers in 1956 but took two years off in 57 and 58 to serve in the Air Force. But he rejoined the Pack just in time for the start of the Vince Lombardi era. And what a hell of an era that was. Bob made one Pro Bowl, served as a Team Captain for all 5 Championship teams, and both Super Bowls. All of that was enough to get him elected to the Packers Hall of Fame in 1976. And the Pro Football Research Association elected him to “The Hall of Very Good” back in 2017. 

    Unfortunately, Bob passed away in 2018 from Alzheimer’s. So he won’t get to see his grandson follow in his footsteps. But Peter does have some big shoes to fill after the impressive NFL career his grandfather had.  

  • Stout in The Run Game Too

    We have established that Skoronski was a beast in Pass Pro in the NFL. And while that is the most important thing any OT will do, it is only part of the game. They also need to run block. Especially if you are going to play for the Eagles who run the ball more than most normal teams. Skoronski is more well known for what he does in pass protection. But make no mistake, he can maul in the run game too. Here is a short collection of what he does in run protection. 

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