Tennessee Titans first-round pick and offensive tackle Peter Skoronski is one of my favorite offensive linemen in the 2023 NFL draft.
And, to be frank, he’s been my favorite this entire time. He was my highest-graded lineman in the draft this entire time, and I had him ranked No. 2 among offensive tackles and No. 1 among interior offensive linemen.
Yes, Paris Johnson Jr. undoubtedly has a higher ceiling at tackle, but Skoronski has a higher floor and versatility, making him a safer pick.
The Northwestern product is a bona fide technician who isn’t going to beat himself very often. Obviously, he won’t have the length advantage in many situations, but opposing defenders are going to have to deal with Skoronski in the trenches more often than not.
What makes Skoronski special is his lethal blend of his constantly changing pass sets combined with efficient hand usage that gives him a chance to win every rep regardless of his physical limitations.
However, arguably my favorite thing about Skor that kept standing out when watching him is his ability to consistently get to the junction point before the defender does in obvious passing situations.
For brief context, the junction point is the area on the field where the tackle and defender are trying to get to so they can put themselves in a position to win the rep.
For a tackle, it’s getting to the JP and preventing the defender from turning the corner.
For a defender, it’s trying to get to that point on the field where they can turn the corner and get to the quarterback. I can confidently say at least 85 percent of the time Skoronski gets there first, and at that point, defenders are going to have to deal with him.
Regardless of how long a defender is in comparison to Skoronski, that’s not going to be an easy rep to win once he’s already won the initial leverage battle.
“You can watch some of these clips and these are 280-pound guys, 270-pound guys rushing on the edge… and he gets his hands on you, they, for the most part, they don’t go very far,” head coach Mike Vrabel said of Skoronski.
Skoronski is a true savant when it comes to not only perfectly timing the snap count, but he explodes out of his stance, often being deep into his initial kick before anybody else has even moved.
This type of technically sound precision will give him a chance at tackle if the Titans decide to keep him there despite his shorter arms.
At the very least, he deserves a chance to prove that he can be a real anomaly along the blindside until he gives the Titans a reason not to believe in him.
Worst-case scenario, he kicks inside and fills the vacant guard spot for the foreseeable future, probably becoming one of the best at the position when it’s all said and done.
This may not have been the sexy pick for a lot of fans, but given the way the board played out, this was one of those obvious lay-up picks that Tennessee couldn’t turn down after last year’s disaster.
