Titans NFL Draft Daily (Jan. 23): Brian Callahan Was High on Peter Skoronski Before 2023 Draft
Now that he's taking over the Tennessee Titans, Brian Callahan will have the opportunity to coach a player he considered one of the top offensive linemen in the 2023 NFL Draft: Peter Skoronski.
Prior to last year's draft, Callahan — who was the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals — joined the Locked on Bengals podcast. When the topic of offensive linemen came up, Callahan had high praise for Skoronski, a left tackle out of Northwestern.
"It's gonna be weird because I do think the tackle class is different than the last couple years because there's not the high-end, sure-fire, top-10 style tackles in this draft. There just isn't," Callahan said.
"Good players, guys who are gonna play for a long time. The best lineman is still probably a guard, and that's (Skoronski)."
The Titans selected Skoronski with the No. 11 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Though he spent his collegiate career at left tackle, the Titans moved him to left guard.
There was a learning curve with a new position in his first NFL season, but Skoronski performed well. He started in 14 games, allowed five sacks, and was responsible for only one penalty. At the end of the year, the former Northwestern star was named to Pro Football Focus' All-Rookie Team.
Skoronski likely to stay at guard
Callahan's comment regarding Skoronski prior to last year's draft probably signals that no major changes are coming for the offensive lineman. It also reinforces the idea that the Titans will select an offensive tackle with the No. 7 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Because of Tennessee's struggles at left tackle last season, there have been some calls for the team to shift Skoronski to that position. Even if he wasn't equipped to handle it, things couldn't have been much worse last year, right?
But Callahan also views Skoronski as a guard, so it's likely that the Titans will set their sights on drafting either Penn State's Olu Fashanu or Notre Dame's Joe Alt — both All-American offensive tackles.
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