Carthon, Vrabel Talk Skoronki Following First-Round Selection

The Tennessee Titans selected Peter Skoronski in round one on Thursday night, and he drew strong reviews from Ran Carthon and Mike Vrabel.

Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

NASHVILLE - Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon and head coach Mike Vrabel stepped outside the team's war room shortly after selecting Peter Skoronski,   with the No. 11 pick in Thursday night's first round of the NFL Draft, and had strong praise for their new lineman.

"We just selected Peter Skoronski with the eleventh overall pick," said Carthon. "You know, Peter checks all the boxes for us and for what we're looking for in our offensive linemen and what' we're looking for to bring into our program."

"You know, truth be told, he was one that we were targeting from the beginning, but didn't know if he would be there or not, so there were other contingency plans just in case, and we got lucky, and he was there," continued Carthon. "So we made the pick which as real easy for us to pull off at No.11."       

For his part, Vrabel shared this on Skoronski. 

"I would just say, I want to thank Ran, and his staff, our coaches for putting a lot of work in, not only on Peter, but this entire draft," said Vrabel. "So far, it's an amazing process and exactly where we were yesterday in some of the scenarios. Our communication, I've absolutely enjoyed it to this point, and we got a fantastic player, a physical player who's got versatility, and those are things we covet."          

"When he gets his hands on people, most of the time, they stop moving, so that's really a good thing for an offensive lineman. 

While not a "sexy" pick in taking a lineman, for a team that allowed 49 sacks last season, it's a necessary one to protect the quarterback. 

"We've said since the end of the season, and during the season, multiple times, numerous times, we have to do a better job protecting our quarterback," said Vrabel. "And we've set out to do that not only by improvement in the offseason but in the free agent acquisitions, and also tonight, and you have to be able to do that."

"He's not just a pass blocker; he's a very good football player and a very good offensive lineman," Vrabel said.          

Skoronski will arrive in Nashville on Friday and meet the media in person prior to the beginning of round two. 

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