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Ben Skowronek draft scouting report

Big Ben

The Rams drafted Notre Dame WR, Ben Skowronek near the end of the 7th round at pick 249 overall. Not a single draft board I looked at had him ranked higher than a late 6th round prospect. I don't know why experts and NFL teams weren't higher on him. Ben Skowronek is a good football player.

My NFL comp for Skowronek is a WR who was supposed to be the next TJ Houshmandzadeh. The highest drafted WR or the one who has the best rookie season doesn't always turn out to be the most valuable WR. The Bengals drafted FSU star, Peter Warrick, with the 4th overall pick in the 2000 draft. The following year, they drafted Chad Johnson in the 2nd round and Houshmandzadeh in the 7th round. Experts said that Houshmanzadeh was big and physical, but lacked speed and quickness, didn't create separation and was a system WR. He also had back problems in college.

In 2003, Houshmandzadeh had a severe hamstring injury and missed the entire season. He also had a nagging injury his rookie year. After his first 3 years in the NFL, he only had a total of 720 receiving yards and one TD. In comparison, Warrick after 2003 had nearly 4 times as many catches and yards, and 18 TDs. To make matters worse for Houshmandzadeh, the Bengals drafted Kelly Washington, a WR from Tennessee, at the very top of the 3rd round in 2003 and another WR, Maurice Mann, in the 5th round in 2004. ESPN's season preview for the Bengals called Houshmandzadeh a solid number 4 WR, behind Washington. The offseason camp reports said Washington was much improved from his rookie season and suggested that he might push Warrick for the starting job. After sitting behind Kitna all of his rookie season in 2003, Carson Palmer was the new starting QB in 2004.

The season didn't unfold as predicted. Warrick had a leg injury and was never the same. He had very little production in the league after he got hurt. The Bengals waived him prior to the start of the 2005 season. Meanwhile, Houshmandzadeh emerged as the 2nd WR to complement Chad Johnson. He had nearly 1,000 yards in 2004. Kelly Washington never panned out. Mann never even made the roster, and went on to play in the CFL.

After 8 seasons with the Bengals, Houshmandzadeh had more than twice as many career receiving yards compared to Warrick. The 7th round pick who people thought was too slow to be any good ended up being much more productive than the high 1st round draft pick who was expected to become a superstar or the 3rd round pick who was supposed to keep him on the bench.

Background

6'2 7/8'' tall, 211 pounds, 32 5/8'' arms, 80 1/4'' wingspan, 10'' hands (Senior Bowl measurements)

No pro day workout due to foot injury at Senior Bowl. Was listed at 220 pounds by ND. He said that his GPS times were the fastest on his team at ND and NW said that during summer workouts he had the fastest speed on their roster. For what it's worth, Greg Newsome, the cornerback for NW, ran 4.38 sec in the 40 and ND had a player at their pro day run 4.37 sec in the 40.

Trent Green is his uncle by marriage. Played at Northwestern with TJ Green, who is Trent Green's son. 3 star recruit. Also played basketball in high school. One of 4 team captains in 2019, but had a serious high ankle sprain and had season ending surgery early in the year, gaining a 5th year of eligibility and transferring to Notre Dame for 2020. Had tightrope surgery on his ankle, a technique that got attention when it was used on Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts. He wanted to return quickly and play later that season, but Pat Fitzgerald and the NW staff decided to shut him down to preserve his eligibility and not risk his health.

Turns 24 years old in June. Name pronounced "sko-RON-eck". His great grandfather was an uncle to Johnny Lujack, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1947. A cousin to a famous and decorated gymnast named Courtney Kupets Carter, currently the head coach for Georgia. Older brother was a walk-on safety at Indiana.

Injured his hamstring in the first game of 2020 season. Missed multiple games. Said his foot was hurting him prior to the Senior Bowl, but he didn't tell anyone and felt he had to play through it to try to audition for teams, since there was no Combine. Broke his foot, Jones fracture, during Senior Bowl week and had surgery.

2017: 45 rec, 644 yards, 5 TDs

2018: 45 rec, 562 yards, 3 TDs

2020 (Notre Dame): 29 rec, 439 yards, 5 TDs

PFF gave him an 89.0 run blocking grade last season, the best blocking grade for any FBS WR.

Describing himself in the middle of last season, he said, "A lot of people would describe me as a possession receiver, but I just want to be a playmaker." Also said that individual stats didn't matter to him as much as wins. Professional, appropriate answers to questions in interviews.

ESPN 210th overall (6th round). Smooth route runner, creates late separation, size to make contested catches. Not explosive in or out of breaks. Below average top end speed.

PFF Not ranked

Bleacher Report 241st (7th round)

TDN 306th (UDFA)

PFN 475th (UDFA)

Sports Illustrated 29th WR (UDFA)

Tony Pauline: Sure handed, wins contested catches, solid route runner, quickly into breaks and stays low out of them. Lacks play speed, middling athlete, limited upside.

Lance Zierlein 5.86 grade (7th to UDFA projection). Great size, good route runner. No suddenness or speed. Could be next Robert Tonyan. Position switch to move TE possible. Excellent body control and balance. High points jump balls. Plus run blocker. Can get deep if CB relaxes. Can't separate against good CBs. Too slow.

Robert Tonyan was an UDFA in 2017. He was originally with Detroit, but they didn't keep him. He broke out last season with the Packers with 52-586-11, the only season in his career that he's had more than 100 receiving yards, partly due to an injury in 2019. Tonyan is listed as 6'5'' tall and 237 pounds. GB put a 2nd round tender on him as a restricted FA for 2021.

Strengths

Good body control and hand positioning at catch point. Attacks the ball.

Calm, quiet hands catching the ball. Good effective catch radius, adjusts to off target passes. Nice catch on low throw on drag route. Makes contested catches on comebacks and by working back to the QB. Strong hands to catch passes above his head.

Powerful strides off of the LOS. Accelerates smoothly after the catch.

Used primarily as outside WR to field at ND, but can line up in variety of positions. Played out of slot, bunch sets, wing like an extra TE, or in motion.

When QB extends the play in scramble drill, does nice job adjusting and getting open. Works back to the QB. If he sees open space in front of him, accelerates to get there and make himself available for QB.

Good route runner. Crafts routes and adjusts shape of route based on coverage. Subtle shakes at top of route. Understands how to create leverage and some separation, doesn't just run in straight line. Varies releases appropriately for situation and CB's technique. Sinks hips into break. Runs effective pivot routes. Ran at outside of CB, then slipped him to the inside.

Crafted dig well, widening CB, running at S before cutting to inside. Clean release against press, pushes the CB upfield, creating leverage on over route, then breaks towards sideline and separates. From bunch formation, widens CB, plays through contact, then separates on slant route. Against CB playing inside technique, created leverage for slant with hesitation move. Sneaky fake like he's blocking for another WR, then turns around and gets open on 4th down play. Attention to detail and timing helps other players on their routes to get open. Good tempo on routes.

Bursts off line, hit brakes 5 yards from LOS and turns without any wasted steps. Got CB on heels, preventing immediate drive on route. Worked back 2 yards to attack the football instead of waiting on pass, then immediate burst inside and with 2 steps is able to evade and break away from the CB. He nearly burns the pursuit angle by the safety as he runs out of bounds. It was only a 3 yard pass, but even on this short pass demonstrated how his attention to detail in execution and underrated athleticism created a nice gain on play that for other WRs might have resulted in a PBU.

Short 3rd down, bunch set, clean footwork on pivot route with hard drive inside and head fake, then pirouette out, creating separation for throw. Created separation on medium 3rd down on dig. Security blanket for QB on 3rd downs.

Not limited to being a 3rd down and red zone target. Split wide, runs straight go down the sideline. Adjusts to deep pass and cuts in front of CB, high pointing the ball, then when safety misses him, runs all the way for 73 yard TD. Won on 20 yard dig route from bunch set going over the middle. Creates separation on shake routes. Got behind CB for deep ball, but QB misses throw.

Outstanding effort blocking downfield. "YAC helper" creating yards for other players by sustaining his block downfield longer than normal for a WR. Pushed CB backwards on WR screen. Sprinted hard downfield to try to help RB on long run.

Hustles to get to proper run blocking angle as WR from wide position. Aggressive and physical as blocker, mindset like a TE, not like a WR. Good awareness as blocker in space on wide pass to adjust his angle based on direction of runner.

Blocks on runs like a TE when in wing position at the LOS. Good size, bends knees, loaded body position, unlocks hips, sound hand placements, moves feet to drive the defender and sustain. Got into CB and drove him 5 yards sideways. Drove CB backwards off the LOS, then nearly picked off the safety too.

On short routes, uses his body like a basketball player boxing out for a rebound to shield off the defender and create a window for the pass.

Ian Book missed him on some throws or didn't throw it to him when he was available and scrambled instead.

Carries out fake effectively on jet sweep. Showed some running strength carrying the ball on fly sweep.

In the Rams offense, I don't know if there is much distinction between a WR and a flex TE. The Rams use their WRs to block tight to the LOS. They also split GE out wide at times, like a WR. Does it matter whether we call Skowronek a WR or a TE? Seems to me like the Rams could use him in many of the same ways they used GE.

Good football IQ.

Weaknesses

Limited vertical in jump ball situations. Doesn't go up high, causing him to play shorter than normal for a 6'3'' WR.

Surprisingly, he can get jammed at the LOS and out muscled at catch point. Doesn't have consistent play strength commensurate with his listed size.

Run block win rate could be higher. Not quick enough to cut off run blitz by slot CB, giving up TFL. From tight bunch set, not enough lateral quickness to cut off the CB. Often goes for knockout shot at 2nd level and overruns blocks on LBs and DBs, missing or bouncing off, overextends and lunges, allowing the defender to make tackle. Needs to have better judgement and control, is overly aggressive. Could make more effective block on certain plays if he just sealed off the defender instead of lunging. Allowed LB to slip past him on pass block.

Reportedly had some dropped passes while at NW, but I didn't see many drops in the ND games I watched. Against Clemson, down by 7 points, with 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter, on a 4th&7, near midfield, he runs a slant and is open, but drops a high pass that hits him in the hands, which potentially could have cost them the game. ND ties it late and in the 2nd OT he makes a clutch 3rd down catch on a comeback route to set up the winning TD.

Got taunting penalty after scoring a TD.

Doesn't have a natural position. Lacks speed to be an outside WR, not quick enough to play in the slot, undersized to be a TE. Athletic profile is more along the lines of a number 4 type WR with a limited ceiling.

Older than most prospects. Durability flags with series of injuries to different parts of his lower body. Can't help the team if he's always hurt.

Pro Comparison

Jordan Payton (5th round 2016, Browns, UCLA).

Payton considered Houshmandzadeh (who was close friends with his older brother) to be a role model and mentor. Playing with Josh Rosen, Payton had 78 catches for 1,105 yards in 2015. He was UCLA's all time leader in receptions. Gil Brandt called Payton one of the top 10 most underrated offensive players in that draft. PFF graded him as the 2nd best WR in the country in 2015 and the 2nd best run blocking WR. He had a low 3.9% drop rate his last 2 years at UCLA. Experts projected him to be between a 3rd and 6th round pick. They liked his size, hands and blocking, but considered him to be slow and unable to separate from defenders.

Payton was 6'1'' tall, 207 pounds and ran 4.47 sec in the 40. Jim Mora compared Payton to Houshmandzadeh.

Payton had one catch in the NFL for 3 yards. He was suspended for PEDs. The Browns waived him in 2017. The Patriots gave him a workout, but didn't sign him. His career was over after a single season in which he barely played.

In my opinion, Ben Skowronek is just as good a prospect coming out of college as TJ Houshmandzadeh. In 2007, Houshmandzadeh had a career best year, with 112 catches for 1,143 yards and 12 TDs. He tied for the NFL lead in receptions that year and made the Pro Bowl. In 2005, Houshmandzadeh had the lowest rate of dropped passes in the NFL. I think Skowronek should have been drafted in the range where Payton went.

Teams get too fixated on things like 40 times and other combine testing numbers instead of simply asking "Is this guy good at football?" In 2007, the top 3 WRs in catches were Houshmandzadeh, Welker and Reggie Wayne. Another top WR that year was Marques Colston, who was one of the last 4 picks in the 7th round of the 2006 draft. None of those WRs were fast players.

Kelly Washington had a fantastic pro day workout. He ran 4.45 sec and jumped 39'' in the vert. There were other fast WRs in his draft, including 2nd rounders Bethel Johnson (4.37 sec) and Taylor Jacobs (4.42 sec). If you add up the career receiving yards for Washington, Johnson, Jacobs, Charles Rogers (1st rd) and Tyrone Calico (2nd round), combined they still don't have half as many yards as Houshmandzadeh.

Just as Houshmandzadeh was surprisingly successful with the Bengals, I don't think it is a crazy idea to think that when it is all said and done, Skowronek could turn out to be the most valuable WR the Rams got in the 2021 draft class. Like Housmandzadeh, it might not happen right away. Three years into Houshmandzadeh's career, I wonder how many people believed he'd eventually be a Pro Bowl player.

On the other hand, maybe Skowronek will turn out exactly like Payton and not do anything in the NFL. If Houshmandzadeh's 2003 injury had been a career ending one, that would have been all she wrote and he would have been just another typical 7th round pick.

If you have trouble pronouncing Skowronek's name and keep wanting to call him Scour Deck or Scooby Doo, just think of Houshmandzadeh's fantasy football commercial and call him "Championship".