Northwestern offensive lineman Peter Skoronski has been one of the more polarizing prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class. His talent is undeniable, but trying to figure out where that talent is best suited is where the real debate begins.
More often than not, a 33-inch arm length is a minimal threshold to play offensive tackle at the NFL level, and Skoronski came in just short of that (32 1/4 inches)
Obviously, this isn’t ideal, but there aren’t many short-armed tackles who were as talented, athletic and technically sound as Skoronski already is.
That’s because they aren’t given a shot to ever play OT. I’ve seen OT’s with 34, 35, 36, 37 inch arms ALL SUCK & couldn’t block a troll on twitter, couldn’t stop a long arm of their mom’s life depended on it. Measurable’s are nice to compare, and have a metric, but measurable’s… https://t.co/npQwYNhP7b
— Duke Manyweather (@BigDuke50) April 16, 2023
Therefore, he deserves the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.
Regardless of where the Northwestern product plays, he is one of the safer prospects in this class due to the obvious aspects of his game that should seamlessly translate to the next level.
People love to point out the half inch he doesn’t have in arm length yet never point out how he’s consistently the first guy to the junction point.
At that point, You’re still gonna have to deal with him. And idc how long you are, thats not gonna be an easy win
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) April 15, 2023
The most ironic thing about the arm-length argument is how people consistently ignore the fact that he probably has the best hand usage in the draft. That is just one of the many reasons why he rarely got beat no matter who was across from him.
People love to show the one rep from 2021 where Lukas Van Ness and his 34-inch arms got the best of him, yet conveniently leave out the countless other reps where he more than held his own against Van Ness over the last two years.
Next Gen Stats recently released their draft scores by position, and unless you’re infatuated with arm length, it should be no surprise that Skoronski received the highest score (89) of any offensive lineman in the class.
Northwestern's Peter Skoronski enters the 2023 NFL Draft with the highest overall draft score of any offensive lineman (89).
The unanimous first-team All-American has a 31% chance to make a Pro Bowl in his first three seasons, more than double any other OT in this class. pic.twitter.com/rql4CPUpEZ
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) April 25, 2023
Also, according to the Next Gen Stats data, Skor received a whopping 31-percent chance of eventually developing into a Pro Bowl lineman over the next three years, more than double of any offensive tackle in the class.
People within the fanbase will predictably be fake upset on draft night should the Titans select Skoronski solely off the idea that he MAY move to guard, but there is a strong chance that, within the next two years, Skoronski will become a franchise pillar for whichever organization he goes to.
