NEWSLETTER
‘Tis the season to be jolly tracking early entrants jumping into the 2023 NFL Draft.
The college football season is over. Bowl season is here. And with it, a wave of decisions is coming from draft-eligible players who are deciding between returning to school and forgoing their collegiate eligibility. And with the Bears owning their own first-round pick in 2023, we have extra incentive to keep tabs on the most notable names throwing their hats in the ring.
One name we’ve been keeping an eye on for a while is Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski. The Wildcats’ left tackle has been on our radar since the beginning of the year. And while we’ve long expected he would make the jump into the draft pool, Skoronski made it officially official today:
Pro Football Focus’ top-ranked draft-eligible offensive lineman is entering the NFL Draft. And the Bears better have an eye on this one.
Skoronski is one of this draft class’ most highly-ranked offensive linemen. There is a legitimate argument for him to be the first offensive lineman off the board, too. The expectation is that Skoronski will be a first-round pick in the NFL’s upcoming draft. And I suppose there will be conversations about Skoronski being a potential Bears first-round target. It would make sense, right? Skoronski has (1) skills, (2) high-end production against upper-echelon college competition, (3) unanimous All-American status, and (4) incredible buzz heading into the pre-draft process. Throw in the Bears’ needs along the offensive line and the fit is too perfect. Chicago drafting a Maine South/Northwestern product to become Justin Fields’ blindside protection for 10+ years is a Bears fanfic fever dream.
In all seriousness, it doesn’t take much to imagine Skoronski as someone the Bears consider drafting next April. Skoronski is a quality prospect who has excelled in the Big Ten. Being a local product could help in the evaluation process. After all, the Bears probably should’ve had eyes on him going back to his high school days. And, yes, I understand Chicago’s football team has other pressing needs. However, this team has myriad needs at this point. In other words, GM Ryan Poles can draft someone at a number of premium positions and it would make sense. That includes Skoronski (or any other high-end offensive line prospect for that matter).
