James Franklin explains why it's difficult to evaluate Northwestern OL Peter Skoronski

Northwestern Football is experiencing a bit of a down year for program standards. However, they do have a gem on the offensive line in junior left tackle Peter Skoronski. In all likelihood, he’ll be hearing his name called in the first round of next year’s NFL Draft. With some pro pundits pegging him as the top overall tackle in the draft. So he’s going to be picked and picked very high come April.

But the way the Wildcats use Skoronski is a bit unorthodox. With a lineman like him, most teams would line him up and let him block straight up. Instead, Pat Fitzgerald’s team likes to move the offensive lineman around, even during the play. They chip block, use tight ends as linemen sometimes. It’s not your typical blocking scheme. Yet Skoronski thrives all the same.

So ahead of Penn State’s game against Northwestern, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin addressed the challenge of facing such an iron wall of a left tackle, especially given how versatile Skoronski is.

“He was one of the top offensive linemen in the country. Well, we recruited him out of high school as well. You know, big, athletic, smart,” Franklin said of Skoronski, before explaining how the Northwestern blocking scheme creates tough matchups.

“You know, it’s funny because, in some ways, you don’t get to completely evaluate them, because they chip a lot. They’ll use the tight ends and running backs to chip. And a lot of people do that. I feel like it’s a match-up problem, you know. But they do it all the time and even with him. And I don’t know if he necessarily needs it all the time. But it’s just part of who they are and what they do. So sometimes, it makes it difficult to evaluate them. But we know how talented he is. Got a ton of respect for him and we know it’ll be a challenging matchup.”

James Franklin not downplaying the task that lies ahead in getting around Peter Skoronski.