Ben Skowronek Adds Leadership And Experience To The Notre Dame WR Corps
Notre Dame will have a difficult task replacing the production it lost from its 2019 pass game, but the addition of Northwestern grad transfer wide receiver Ben Skowronek should help make that a bit easier.
Skowronek hauled in 110 passes for 1,417 yards and eight touchdowns during his career with the Wildcats. He caught 45 passes in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, racking up 644 and 562 yards, respectively, to go with a combined eight touchdowns in those two seasons.
The Indiana native went down with an early season-ending injury in 2019, which allowed him to preserve an additional season of eligibility, and that should be a benefit to Notre Dame.
One negative is that Skowronek didn’t get the spring to connect with his teammates and quarterback Ian Book, but sources close to the program informed Irish Breakdown that Skowronek quickly developed a strong rapport with his teammates during winter workouts.
WHAT HE ADDS
Skowronek was a team captain in 2019, so he brings much needed experience and leadership to the Irish depth chart. Notre Dame isn’t necessarily young at wide receiver, as the vaunted 2018 recruiting class will now be juniors, but they do lack game experience, especially big-game experience, and there isn’t much leadership and proven production returning.
The former Northwestern wideout has also played in some big games, including the 2018 Big Ten Championship game in which he caught four passes for 42 yards.
Skowronek is not a player that you build your pass game around, and he’s not someone that has the tools to replace what Chase Claypool brought to the offense from both a production and dominance standpoint. That’s just not his game, but what he does bring should be an asset.
At 6-3 and 215 pounds, Skowronek adds good size to the depth chart. He was credited with eight drops in the 2018-19 seasons, which means he had a better catch rate than Claypool. Skowronek possesses strong ball skills and his body control combines well with his length to give him a wide catch radius. Skowronek is a quality route runner and shows a good feel for finding openings, which combines with his ball skills to make him an effective chain mover.
According to Pro Football Focus, 55 of Skowronek’s 90 catches from 2018-19 were less than 10 yards down the field. He caught just 13 passes that traveled at least 20 yards past the line of scrimmage and 22 from 10-19 yards past the line.
VERSATILITY IS IMPORTANT
Skowronek has played all over the field for the Wildcats. He has experience lining up outside to the field, outside to the boundary and in the slot. His route running prowess and size allows him to be effective on the perimeter, but the vast majority of his work was between the numbers.
According to PFF, 48.9% of his catches in 2017-18 were between the numbers, but that number was at 53.3% in 2018. Most of his shorter receptions were over the middle, but the majority of his downfield throws were outside, which further displays his versatility.
How this benefits Notre Dame directly is Skowronek can play in various personnel groupings, and he doesn’t have to be locked into a rotation at one position. If boundary receivers like Javon McKinley and Kevin Austin are playing at a high level, Skowronek can spend more time to the field in a rotation with Lawrence Keys III in the slot and Braden Lenzy outside. If the need is greater for him in the boundary, he can do that.
If Skowronek can earn a rotation spot he’s the kind of player the staff can move around week to week in order to find ways to get him going in a possession-type role.
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