Bennett William Skowronek (/skəˈrɒnɪk/ skə-RON-ick;[1] born June 27, 1997) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Northwestern and Notre Dame, and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL draft.
 Skowronek with the Los Angeles Rams in 2023 | |||||||||||||
| No. 15 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | June 27, 1997 Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 224 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Homestead (Fort Wayne, Indiana) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Northwestern (2016–2019) Notre Dame (2020) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2021 / round: 7 / pick: 249 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2024 | |||||||||||||
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Early life
editSkowronek grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and attended Homestead High School.[2] He had 42 receptions for 841 yards and 12 touchdowns in his junior season.[3] As a senior Skowronek caught 53 passes for 805 yards and nine touchdowns and was named first-team All-Indiana and was given the positional Mr. Indiana Football award.[4]
College career
editSkowronek began his collegiate career at Northwestern. He became a starter going into his sophomore year and finished the season with 45 catches for 644 yards and five touchdowns.[5] Skowronek recorded 45 reception for 562 yards and two touchdowns in his junior season. He caught 12 passes for 141 yards in three games as a senior before suffering a season-ending leg injury and taking a medical redshirt.[6]
Following the end of his senior season, Skowronek announced he would be transferring to Notre Dame as a graduate student.[7][8] He caught touchdown passes of 34 and 73 yards in a 45–3 win over Pittsburgh.[9][10] Skowronek finished the season with 29 catches for 439 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for a touchdown.[11]
College statistics
edit| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2016 | Northwestern | 13 | 0 | 8 | 70 | 8.8 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Northwestern | 13 | 13 | 45 | 644 | 14.3 | 58 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Northwestern | 14 | 14 | 45 | 562 | 12.5 | 40 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Northwestern | 3 | 3 | 12 | 141 | 11.8 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Notre Dame | 11 | 10 | 29 | 439 | 15.1 | 73 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 13 | 1 |
| Career | 54 | 40 | 139 | 1,856 | 13.4 | 73 | 13 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 13 | 1 | |
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Bench press | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+7⁄8 in (1.90 m) |
220 lb (100 kg) |
33+1⁄4 in (0.84 m) |
10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) |
13 reps | ||||||||
| All values from Pro Day[12][13] | ||||||||||||
Los Angeles Rams
editSkowronek was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round, 249th overall, of the 2021 NFL draft.[14] On May 16, 2021, he signed his four-year rookie contract with Los Angeles.[15] As a rookie, he appeared in 14 games and had one start. He finished with 11 receptions for 133 receiving yards.[16] In Super Bowl LVI, Skowronek had two receptions for 12 yards in the 23–20 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.[17]
In his second season in the NFL in 2022, Rams head coach Sean McVay began using Skowronek as a fullback in addition to his role as a wide receiver. In a Week 6 win against the Carolina Panthers, Skowronek had a 19-yard reception lining up as at fullback.[18] In that game, Skowronek also had a 17-yard rushing touchdown, which was also the first touchdown of his career. In a 17–16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14, Skowronek led the Rams with seven catches and 89 receiving yards.[19] In the 2022 season, he appeared in 14 games, of which he started 11. He finished with 39 receptions for 376 receiving yards and one rushing touchdown.[20] In the 2023 season, he had eight receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown, which came in Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys. He played on special teams throughout the season.[21]
Houston Texans
editOn May 9, 2024, the Rams traded Skowronek and a seventh-round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for a sixth-round pick.[22] He was waived on August 27.[23]
Pittsburgh Steelers
editOn August 29, 2024, Skowronek was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad.[24] He was signed to the active roster on September 17, but placed on injured reserve the following day.[25] He was active for the November 10 game against the Washington Commanders and recovered a fumbled punt.
NFL career statistics
edit| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2021 | LAR | 14 | 1 | 11 | 133 | 12.1 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | LAR | 14 | 11 | 39 | 376 | 9.6 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | LAR | 17 | 0 | 6 | 66 | 8.3 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | PIT | 9 | 1 | 5 | 69 | 13.8 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 54 | 13 | 63 | 644 | 10.2 | 35 | 1 | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Postseason
edit| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2021 | LAR | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | LAR | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 5 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Personal life
editSkowronek has distant Polish roots, and is distantly related to the 1947 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack. He is a cousin of the Olympic gymnast Courtney Kupets, and former NFL quarterback Trent Green is an uncle by marriage.[26]
References
edit- ^ "Rams WR Ben Skowronek On His Journey From NFL Draft To The Rams 2021 Roster". YouTube.com. Los Angeles Rams. November 10, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ Salle, Megan (January 1, 2020). "Homestead Grad, Ben Skowronek transfers to Notre Dame for final year of eligibility". FortWaynesNBC.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Wiltfong, Steve (April 4, 2015). "Visits Coming For Skowronek". 247Sports. Retrieved November 16, 2020.[dead link]
- ^ Neddenriep, Kyle (December 10, 2015). "Avon QB Brandon Peters named 2015 IndyStar Mr. Football". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Greenstein, Teddy (August 23, 2018). "Bonded by blood, Northwestern's Ben Skowronek and TJ Green hope to find home in the end zone". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Sampson, Pete (January 29, 2020). "'Harry Potter' no longer, Ben Skowronek has an opportunity he never expected at Notre Dame". The Athletic. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Greenstein, Teddy (January 2, 2020). "Ben Skowronek heads to Notre Dame from Northwestern". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Berardino, Mike (September 12, 2020). "For Ben Skowronek, it's all about the blue (and gold) genes". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Berardino, Mike (October 28, 2020). "Northwestern Transfer Ben Skowronek Makes Sudden Impact At Notre Dame". Forbes.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Sampson, Pete (October 29, 2020). "How Ben Skowronek's undaunted approach helps him answer Notre Dame's WR problem". The Athletic. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Skol Jr, Mark (January 4, 2021). "Irish wide receiver Ben Skowronek signs off". WDNU.com. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Ben Skowronek Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
- ^ "Bennett Skowronek, Notre Dame, WR, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
- ^ Jackson, Stu (May 1, 2021). "Rams select WR Ben Skowronek with 249th pick in 2021 NFL Draft". TheRams.com. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ Ortenberg, Andrew (May 16, 2021). "NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/16/21". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Ben Skowronek 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals - February 13th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Rams - October 16th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams - December 8th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Ben Skowronek 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Ben Skowronek 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ Jackson, Stu (May 9, 2024). "Rams trade Ben Skowronek to Texans". TheRams.com. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (08-27-2024)". HoustonTexans.com. August 27, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ Varley, Teresa (August 30, 2024). "Steelers sign eight to practice squad". Steelers.com. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ Kozora, Alex (September 18, 2024). "Steelers Sign WR Ben Skowronek From Practice Squad To 53-Man Roster". Steelers Depot. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Berardino, Mike (September 12, 2020). "For Ben Skowronek, it's all about the blue (and gold) genes". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
External links
edit- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Pro Football Reference
- Pittsburgh Steelers bio
- Northwestern Wildcats bio
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio