The NFL Draft kicks off with its opening round on April 27 in Kansas City, so Rivals is taking a look back at its projected first-round picks when they were high school prospects. We move onto our projected No. 9 – Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski, who was a four-star prospect in the 2020 class.
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No. 9: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Where they were ranked: The Park Ridge (Ill.) Maine South offensive tackle was a four-star prospect right inside the Rivals250 at No. 223 overall. He finished as the No. 21 offensive tackle in the 2020 class.
Recruitment: In the age of top lists, edits, graphics and “building your brand” on social media when it comes to one’s recruitment, Skoronski went the opposite way. He didn’t talk to the media much, he didn’t do many interviews and he kept his top schools close to the vest. The four-star committed to Northwestern (his first offer) in May before his senior season over offers from Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, Iowa and others.
Biggest draft question: Being only 6-foot-4 and having short arms, can Skoronski stay at offensive tackle against NFL edge rushers with superior length, or will he have to move inside?
Memories: Skoronski was a little bit of an enigma through the recruiting process because he didn’t really do many events, largely kept to himself and out of the public eye, both from a competitive standpoint and in his recruitment.
From the Chicago suburbs, Skoronski listed only seven offers mainly from Big Ten schools, and he committed to local Northwestern before his senior season started, so there really was no drama or buildup on the recruiting side.
The Park Ridge (Ill.) Maine South standout really made his national debut at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, where he was very impressive and won a ton of reps against elite national competition, the first time he had seen or competed against that caliber of player in his high school career.
I do remember having the same questions about Skoronski then as the NFL decision-makers have now. He doesn’t have ideal length, he doesn’t blow anyone away from a physical perspective (especially then, when he weighed around 270 pounds; he weighed 313 at the NFL Combine) and from a projection standpoint, others in his class just looked better on the hoof.
Five-stars Broderick Jones and Paris Johnson Jr. especially looked like a million bucks, and while now seeing their development there’s no question Skoronski should have been higher in the position rankings, it was a much more difficult call then since he was the only offensive tackle under 6-foot-5 in the top 30.
Years later, and a phenomenal career at Northwestern in the books, it’s interesting that the same question remains: Can Skoronski play offensive tackle at the highest level or would he be better suited moving inside?
