What Makes Northwestern OL Peter Skoronski a 'Great Player' & Falcons Draft Prospect?

What's it like facing Northwestern offensive lineman and potential Atlanta Falcons draft pick Peter Skoronski? Here's what two of the Big Ten's best pass rushers - Iowa's Lukas Van Ness and Nebraska's Ochaun Mathis - said of the challenge.

The Atlanta Falcons have a need at left guard and are reportedly doing their due diligence on a pair of the 2023 NFL Draft's highest-rated offensive linemen ... including Northwestern's Peter Skoronski.

An All-American offensive tackle for the Wildcats, Skoronski has been projected to move inside and play guard as a professional, in large part due to his sub-33-inch arms, smaller than many teams' threshold at tackle.

But why is Skoronski thought of so highly?

The Park Ridge, Ill., native is fresh off a dominant campaign in which he became the first player in Northwestern history to win Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and be named a consensus All-American.

A stout combine performance only backed up the tape, as Skoronski starred in the jumps, posting a 34 1/2-inch vertical and 9'7" broad, good enough to rank in the 97th and 96 percentile, respectively, among offensive lineman, per MockDraftable.

Perhaps most importantly, Skoronski drew the respect and admiration of his opponents each week.

Iowa defensive end Lukas Van Ness, a projected first-round pick who's also been linked to the Falcons during the pre-draft process, knows Skoronski as well as anybody.

The two Illinois natives faced each other growing up throughout high school and later trained together at the same facility.

Van Ness' biggest takeaway from those matchups? That Skoronski's a player who has to be legitimately factored into game plans.

"Every time we had a game against Northwestern, his name was circled," Van Ness said. "We always had good competition against each other. He's a great player and I knew every week I had to be ready when we played him."

But, once more, why the "great player" bill for Skoronski?

Analysts often point out that the 6-4, 313-pound Skoronski is highly refined with his footwork and technique, creating the profile of a nuanced, pro-ready blocker.

And according to Nebraska defensive end Ochaun Mathis, who faced Skoronski to kick off this past season, the consensus scouting report is spot-on.

"He was pretty good," Mathis told Sports Illustrated's Falcon Report. "He had really good eyes - not looking at the head movement. A lot of times, guys get too caught up in the head movement of edge rushers - he's watching the hips. He's very twitchy, athletic from moving inside to out.

"I think he was just an overall great player."

Evaluators can turn on the tape and see what makes a player "great" - but perhaps nobody understands the extent to which that proves true better than those who line up on the other side of the ball.

And in the case of Skoronski, these are two players who he very well could see again in the NFL ... both of whom left impressed.

Will Atlanta ultimately draft Skoronski, the "great player" with "really good eyes" and athleticism?

That answer won't be in until Apr. 27 - but the Falcons, with their heightened pre-draft work, appear to think as highly of Skoronski as Mathis and Van Ness ... and could ultimately fill a notable need in a big way.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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