The NFL Draft will get underway next week, and Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski is hoping to continue his meteoric rise as he moves on to the next level in his career.
Skoronski, who was a unanimous first-team All-American for the Wildcats during the 2022 season, could not only be drafted in the first round, but could even find his name read among the top-10 players in this year’s class, and he’s stunned at how far he’s come in a short period of time.
“I sort of blinked, and all of a sudden I was playing Big Ten football, and it sort of feels like the same thing now,” he said. “I feel like I just started playing football here and now I’m blinking and have the opportunity to be in the NFL.”
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Skoronski stepped into the starting left tackle role for the Wildcats as a true freshman in 2020, having joined the team after a stellar career at suburban Maine South High School.
Now, the Park Ridge-native is not only dreaming of potential NFL stardom, but also cognizant of the fact that he’s living up to a family legacy.
His grandfather Bob Skoronski was a star for the Green Bay Packers under legendary head coach Vince Lombardi, with five championship rings in his trophy case.
Bob died in 2018, but he shared a special bond with his grandson, one that Peter says he will never forget.
NFL
“He was just someone I always looked up to,” he said. “He’s always a person I wanted to emulate, on the field and off the field. That’s kind of been my driving factor, is to just carry on his legacy.”
Family is clearly important to Skoronski, and that’s why he’ll be skipping the NFL Draft in Kansas City, choosing instead to spend Thursday night with family, friends and teammates.
“Just kind of now how I am,” he said. “I’m really going to enjoy being around my family and friends and coaches and teammates – everyone who’s sort of gotten me here.”
The offensive tackle says he has had multiple dreams about being picked in the NFL Draft, but one thing is always different: the team that he ends up joining.
At 6-foot-4 and 313 pounds, Skoronski will certainly be a day-one starter in the NFL, but some scouts have questioned whether he will stay at tackle or move to guard.
Either way, he’s excited for the next step in a remarkable journey.
“It’s just relief and just excitement that it’s happened, and just feeling really blessed that I’m finally in the NFL,” he said.