Ben Skowronek is not really a household name. When the Pittsburgh Steelers announced their initial practice squad, maybe you were wondering who he is. Skowronek is a former seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams from the 2021 NFL Draft. But he does have one thing that Steelers fans want: A Super Bowl ring. But who is Skowronek? What has he done in the NFL and before?
Mr. Indiana
Skowronek grew up in Fort Wayne, IN, and played high school football for Homestead High School. He was impressive in his final two seasons in high school, catching 42 passes for 841 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior. However, it was his senior season that saw him earn the title Mr. Indiana. His 53 catches, 805 yards, and 9 touchdowns as a team captain saw him named First-Team All-Indiana. He also won the Mr. Indiana positional award. He also played safety during his high school career with 3 interceptions, 3 tackles for a loss and 52 total tackles.
Multi-Sport Athlete
Skowronek may be a football player, but it wasn’t the only sport he played at Homestead High School. He was a member of the high school team that won the 2015 Indiana Class AAAA State Championship. And you can find an old video of Skowronek showing off his speed and hops on his Instagram when he catches an alley-oop and throws down a two-handed jam.
Skowronek Has Caught Touchdowns In Pittsburgh Before
Skowronek has played at Acrisure Stadium (then Heinz Stadium) before. He’s even caught touchdowns there. He just so happened to do it as part of the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish versus the University of Pittsburgh. In 2020, Skowronek played for Notre Dame as a graduate transfer. That October, the Fighting Irish traveled to Pittsburgh to take on Pitt.
Skowronek only had 2 receptions in that game, but he made both of them count. He finished the game with 107 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of them covered almost three-quarters of the field.
Skowronek fought off the Pitt corner for the jump ball and the Pitt safety overran the play, giving Skowronek time to land and outrun everyone to the end zone for a 73-yard touchdown.
Super Bowl-Winning Pedigree
Skowronek is a Super Bowl champion, having won the title as a rookie with the Rams. However, he’s not the only family to have played in the NFL and have a Super Bowl ring. His uncle is former NFL QB Trent Green who was a member of the St. Louis Rams in 1999 and won Super Bowl XXXIV. Skowronek talked with Wildcats Daily of Sports Illustrated prior to his Super Bowl appearance about reaching out to Green for advice.
“He told me to enjoy the moment, but really just treat it like every other game and don’t let the big stage distract you from the end goal,” Skowronek said. “Really, throughout my whole football journey, he’s been a huge sounding board. He gives me a lot of advice, and he’s really the reason I fell in love with the game.”
So both Green and Skowronek won Super Bowl titles with the same franchise but in two different cities. The NFL can be a strange place.
Ben Skowronek… Fullback?
Skowronek is not a small human being. At the NFL Combine, he measured 6-3 and 220 pounds. That’s not bad at all for a wide receiver. But a fullback? That’s where Skowronek found himself during the 2022 NFL season. He has a reputation as a quality run blocker, and he showcased that as a lead fullback at times for the Rams. But it also gave him a chance to show off his route-running and receiving skills, too. Because if you’ve got a natural receiver, why wouldn’t you mess with defenses?
Rams WR Ben Skowronek running a Corner Route from the FB Position in I-Formation pic.twitter.com/0BCk9RPtuU
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) September 26, 2022
So there you go. A wide receiver lining up at fullback with his hand in the dirt catching a 25-yard pass.
