The Chicago Bears will prioritize upgrading the offensive line this offseason. While general manager Ryan Poles may choose free agency to find some quick fixes, the 2023 NFL Draft will offer quality prospects like Northwestern’s Peter Skoronksi, who can fill a critical role as a plug-and-play starter.
Skoronski began the 2022 college football season as one of the top offensive line prospects in the country, and nothing much has changed since August. Aside from questions about his arm length, Skoronski is as clean as any offensive lineman entering this year’s draft.
The Bears have needs at center, right tackle, and potentially left guard. Skoronski, a college tackle by trade, profiles as a high-level guard if his arm length becomes a problem in the pros. NFL teams prefer linemen with 33″-34″ arms on the edge, and it’s expected Skoronski’s arms will check in around 32 inches.
It seems silly that an inch or two can impact a player’s pro outlook, but it does.
“I didn’t even really know that my arm length was an issue until I kind of heard rumblings about playing the next level,” Skoronski said on 670 The Score Thursday. “I didn’t even realize it was a thing.”
Arm length wasn’t an issue for Skoronski in 2022. He scored an elite 93.0 pass-blocking grade and a near-elite 89.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus this season. He’s carrying a high-first-round projection entering the 2023 NFL draft process.
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Peter Skoronski could be a viable target for the Chicago Bears in the first round if GM Ryan Poles trades down more than once. It’s expected that the Bears will trade out of the No. 1 overall pick, and the Indianapolis Colts at No. 4 overall are the most logical trade partner. But the fourth overall pick is still a bit rich for Skoronski and his current draft valuation, which is trending more in the 12th-15th overall range.
If the Bears trade down twice? Skoronski to the Bears is a very real possibility.
“I know how great a fanbase the Bears have,” he said. “You know, obviously they’ve got a great quarterback now. You know, it would be a dream to stay home and play in my own city and play for that franchise if it came to that.”
Despite being a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan, Skorkonski knows what it would mean to play for a charter franchise like the Chicago Bears.
“Obviously, you know, I’m not going to be some Packers fan saying I won’t play for them. It’d be an absolute honor to, you know, play for that franchise for sure.”
