Welcome to the 11th daily installment of the NFL Draft 1-through-32 series on DK Pittsburgh Sports, intended to introduce you, a prospect at a time, to the top 32 players in the class on a consensus basis, leading right up to the main event.
That, of course, will be April 27-29, in Kansas City, Mo., though all 32 teams, including the Steelers on the South Side, will operate from their local headquarters.
NO. 11: PETER SKORONSKI
Northwestern offensive tackle
Skoronski was formerly the No. 11-rated player on Pro Football Focus' big board, but he shot up to No. 8 within the ranking as of Wednesday morning. Skoronski was heralded out of high school as a center, made his name in college as a left tackle, and could profile best as a guard in the NFL. His versatility is nearly unmatched and will allow him to fit into just about any offensive scheme across the league.
COLLEGE BACKGROUND
Skoronski has been one of the best offensive linemen across college football in each of his three seasons at Northwestern. He was selected to the All-Big Ten second team as a freshman in 2020 as he started every game and helped the Wildcats to 162.8 rushing yards per game. His 2021 season resulted in a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the league's coaches, as he started all 12 games and paved the way for Evan Hull's 1,000-rushing-yard season.
He saved his best for last in 2022. He ended the season with PFF’s highest pass-blocking grade in the NCAA at 93.0 as he allowed just six pressures on 480 pass-blocking snaps. PFF graded his run blocking at 79.1, which was fifth among qualifying Power Five tackles. He was a unanimous first-team All-American selection and a first-team All-Big Ten selection by media and coaches. He was a finalist for the Outland Trophy, which is given to the country's best college interior lineman on both offense and defense. (Pitt defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was also a finalist for the award. Michigan center Olusegun Oluwatimi won it.)
He started all 33 of his career games at left tackle.
The Park Ridge, Ill., native Skoronski was a consensus four-star recruit out of high school, but was a fringe five-star prospect. He was rated as the top center in the country and the No. 27 overall prospect in the high school, with a five-star rating by 247Sports in the class of 2020. Skoronski chose Northwestern among nine offers, including from Michigan and Penn State. He measured at 6-foot-4, 275 pounds and earned a comparison to former Bengals center Billy Price out of high school.
NFL COMBINE, PRO DAY
Skoronski measured at 6-foot-4, 313 pounds with a 32 1/4-inch arm length and 10-inch hand width at the NFL Combine. He ranked first among Combine offensive tackles in in his production score and overall score, each of which were at 89. He earned a prospect grade of 6.73, or "Year 1 starter."
His 30 bench press reps finished fifth among Combine tackles, but his athleticism stood out in his 34.5-inch vertical jump and his 9-foot-7 broad jump, each of which were second among Combine offensive tackles.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Skoronski to Cowboys six-time All-Pro guard Zack Martin in his post-Combine evaluation.
His pro day, nearly needless to say, was negligible. He neither rose nor plummeted on draft boards because of the additional workout session.
MOCK DRAFT
The USA Today mock draft consensus tracker has Skoronski going at No. 10 overall to Philadelphia, with an average draft slotting at 11.5.
Our own latest mock draft also has Skoronski going to Philadelphia at No. 10.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE STEELERS' STANDPOINT
If you Google search "Peter Skoronski pro day," the first two stories that pop in the results section are related to how the Bears were in "full force" and were "rolling deep" for his showcase. If the Steelers value Skoronski as their top offensive lineman, they will have to trade up to get him.
There is absolutely no question about that. If it's not Chicago, then it surely will be someone else before the Steelers pick at No. 17 overall.
Per reports, offensive line coach Pat Meyer and an additional scout were the only two Steelers representatives sent to Skoronski's pro day.
COREY'S TAKE
I'll make this brief: Skoronski is the best offensive lineman in the draft. I have zero concerns or second thoughts over it.
THE REST
You can view the rest of our 1-through-32 NFL Draft stories below.
1. Alabama QB Bryce Young
2. Georgia DT Jalen Carter
3. Alabama DE Will Anderson Jr.
4. Kentucky QB Will Levis
5. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
6. Florida QB Anthony Richardson
7. Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon
8. Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson
9. TCU WR Quentin Johnston
10. Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
