With the Pittsburgh Steelers having needs on the offensive line, they have been mocked many times to a plethora of different offensive lineman. One offensive lineman who has not been mocked to Pittsburgh much lately, due to where the Steelers pick, is Northwestern’s left tackle Peter Skoronski. Despite this, Bleacher Report believes the Steelers are one of the best fits for him.
Writing today on the ten best prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft and their best fits, Alex Ballentine listed Skoronski as the ninth best prospect and said his best fits are the Steelers, Tennessee Titans, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“The Titans can save $14.8 million by cutting left tackle Taylor Lewan this offseason,” wrote Ballentine. “The Steelers should be looking for an upgrade from Dan Moore Jr., while Donovan Smith didn’t play up to his contract for the Bucs last season, giving up six sacks and getting called for 12 penalties.”
For the Steelers to get Skoronski they will likely have to trade up. The Titans currently hold the eleventh pick in the NFL Draft and with them having quarterback Malik Willis waiting in the wings, and left tackle Taylor Lewan possibly gone, a left tackle will be a priority for them.
Skoronski is an interesting prospect because of his size. He may not be able to play left tackle at the pro level, sliding inside to guard. Skoronski is listed at 6’4″ 315 pounds and is rumored to have an arm length of 32 inches which is on the smaller side for tackles. If teams don’t think he can play left tackle, it is possible he slides as most teams view tackle as more important than guard.
Writing about Skoronski’s skillset, Ballentine praised his quick feet and ability to play in both gap and zone blocking schemes.
“Skoronski plays with quick, active feet. He’s a physical run blocker who can get the job done in both gap and zone schemes. The only question is whether he can compensate for his lack of length well enough to play tackle.”
For Pittsburgh if he does fall to 17 they might as well take a shot at him. With the left side of their offensive line questionable, Skoronski could be an upgrade on Dan Moore Jr., if he sticks at left tackle, or Kevin Dotson if they move him to guard.
PFF grades Skoronski as the second best offensive lineman in this years draft class and gave him a season grade of 89.5. While if he slides to guard his valuable would theoretically be less than it would be if he stays at tackle, I’m not so sure that bothers the Steelers who in recent times have seemed to prioritize guard play over tackle play. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 1996 when they picked a tackle in the first round, being Jamain Stephens. However, in the time since then they have taken two guards in the first round, Alan Faneca in 2000, and David DeCastro in 2012.
Given this trend, if Skoronski falls to the Steelers don’t be surprised if the scoop him up. Not only is a he a really good lineman, but historically the team doesn’t care about positional value on the offensive line. If you can play a position on the line well, and the Steelers have a need there, they’ll take you.
