The Titans Draft: Peter Skoronski

The Tennessee Titans pulled the old stick and pick maneuver and got what seems to be their top-rated player on their board. It was the first domino to fall and how much impact can Skoronski make?

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Alright we are officially talking about the Titans first round pick, Peter Skoronski. Offensive linemen aren’t necessarily sexy, but I am going to make it look sexy as hell. By the end of this article, you’re gonna want to take offensive linemen on a nice steak dinner.

I know the last two articles have truly been lengthy as hell. To be honest as I am typing this in real-time, I have no clue where this will land on the spectrum of words typed. I have a lot of thoughts on the Skoronski Effect and how this was 100-percent the right move. Let’s get into it.

The First Domino

If it hasn’t been hammered into your head enough, the Titans went best player available throughout the draft based on their big board. Roll the dice, Play the board, all that jazz.

So, it was a tiny bit of a surprise that instead of drafting a quarterback that fell to them at pick 11 after trade up attempts failed, that they went offensive lineman. However, it makes complete sense.

All offseason anyone talked about, in regard to Skoronski, was that he was the most pro ready prospect of the draft. Zero concerns about how his game translates at the next level. Well, zero concerns as long as he’s a guard of course.

However, he was the top-rated offensive lineman on just about everyone’s big boards across the NFL draft media. Obviously not the first on every team’s board, but that is okay. The Titans were absolutely shocked he fell to them. (Every team is shocked their player fell to them)

They wasted no time in getting his card turned in when they went on the clock. It had to be the fastest pick of the first round. It was also the pick that set off the chain reaction that was the rest of the Titans draft.

The first domino to fall that resulted in the potential franchise quarterback to be draft, but also have them missing out on a wide receiver. So, below you will see what was likely their big board. I mentioned this in yesterday’s article, but it was clear that Skoronski was a level or two higher than Will Levis on the Titans big board, as seen below.

So, drafting Skoronski, which was smart, forced the Titans to try a few times to get back into the first round to snag Levis and get that coveted 5th-year option. They failed to do that, likely due in part to teams falling in love with a player of their own that they coveted (example: Buffalo Bills loved Kincaid) and didn’t think that player would fall to them at 41, and/or they didn’t want to give up that 5th-year option.

It’s a massive domino, and people talk about the draft hinging on Will Levis’s success, but I’d argue the team’s success is gonna depend on Skoronski hitting as well.

OT vs OG: Does It Really Matter?

Before we get into the on-field impact, I wanted to talk the value of a guard vs tackle in general. In Skoronski’s case, I’d argue it doesn’t matter. It’s just good value. The more I have thought about it the more I think it was 100% the right move and has great value.

I’ve heard people say he better get into the Hall of Fame for the value to equal the #11 pick. I think that insane way to look at value. Right now, everyone seems to have the same consensus that his ceiling is an All-Pro guard. Isn’t that worth it for this team?

You know who was picked at a more valued position that never made AP’s first team All-Pro? Taylor Lewan. He made the sports writers and Sporting News, but not the big one.

I encourage you to think in a new way about the value of guard/tackle. Do you win because of a guard? No. Can you lose because of a guard? Absolutely. It’s the same for offensive tackle. Bad offensive linemen can lead to losses. Great offensive linemen don’t necessarily lead to wins.

I will use Lewan as an example. He goes out in 2020, and the Titans plug in David Quessenberry and Ty Sambrailo and didn’t miss a beat. On the flip side, the Titans played the worst offensive lineman ever seen, Dennis Daley, and you can pinpoint to blown blocks that swung momentum.

The point is, while guard isn’t viewed as a premium position right now, it should be. Skoronski has the ability to take an already improved offensive line compared to 2022 and take it to the next level.

His presence, whether at tackle or guard, allows the offensive line to see a considerable jump in protection, which leads to offensive production. The best way to help a young quarterback is to make sure he has enough time to throw the ball and see the field.

Offensive line is a young QB’s best friend. This is exactly how more teams should consider building around them. Specifically, Levis. How many times did you hear all offseason that Levis lost all kinds of offensive linemen and didn’t have any time? Here ya go, this is the fix.

If the battle is won in the trenches, like almost everyone says, you may need to invest in the trenches. Sure, the Eagles don’t have an offensive lineman that was a high pick on the offensive line. Okay, great for them. They also have the best offensive line and assistant offensive line coach in the league. that matters.

How Is the OL Shaping Up?

This brings me to my projection and data part of the article. Everyone’s favorite part, because surely, I am not the only nerd, right?