In late 2019, Ben Skowronek found himself with an opportunity he never expected to have.
A season-ending injury as a senior at Northwestern gave him the option of playing a fifth year in college. He chose to use it – but at a different school.
Notre Dame needed a veteran receiver. Skowronek sought an opportunity to start. The two were as good a match as envisioned. Perhaps even better. The end result of their one-year union is an NFL draft selection.
The Los Angeles Rams picked Skowronek, a 6-3, 220-pound wide receiver, in the seventh round with the 249th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s the ninth Notre Dame player picked this year. The nine draft selections are the second-most in program history since the NFL went to the seven-round draft format in 1994. That 1994 draft had 10.
Per Spotrac’s rookie wage scale, Skowronek will sign a four-year deal worth $3.56 million.
Skowronek posted 29 catches, 444 yards and a team-high five receiving touchdowns in his lone season with the Irish. He was a standout run blocker as well. Pro Football Focus gave him the highest run-blocking grade (89.0) of any Football Bowl Subdivision receiver in 2020 (min. 50 snaps).
Before he became a reliable target and jump-ball threat, though, Skowronek found himself staring at the idea of a lost season. He pulled a hamstring in the opener against Duke and missed the next two games. He had no catches entering Notre Dame’s fourth game of the season. He started that game – a home date with Louisville – and had two important third-down conversions.
Quarterback Ian Book’s trust in him increased from there. Skowronek caught two touchdowns that totaled 107 yards the next week in a win at Pitt. He hauled in three red-zone scores in a November win at Boston College. He ran for a 13-yard touchdown at North Carolina. He and Book connected nine times in Notre Dame’s two postseason games.
It was enough to take some positive momentum into his draft prep and earn a Senior Bowl invitation. But his opportunity there fizzled after a foot injury he suffered earlier in January flared up and forced him to pull out after just one practice. At Notre Dame’s pro day, he participated in only the bench press and measurements.
Skowronek saw the pre-draft process as a chance to rewrite some narratives. His disappointment over his wiped-out chances to do so was obvious in his pro day interview.
“My speed has been doubted,” Skowronek said. “I was so excited to get on the field and run that 40-yard dash and shut everybody up. You can talk to every strength coach I’ve had. My GPS speeds have been the fastest on the team [at Northwestern].
“I was going to run fast. I’m not going to put a time out there, but I’ve seen times and been faster than those guys when I was training with them.”
Entering the draft, mocks predicted he would be a late-round pick or priority free-agent.
Notre Dame had five players picked in the first three rounds: tackle Liam Eichenberg (42nd overall, Miami Dolphins), guard Aaron Banks (48th, San Francisco 49ers), linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (52nd, Cleveland Browns), tight end Tommy Tremble (83rd, Carolina Panthers) and offensive lineman Robert Hainsey (95th, Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
Its Day 3 picks before Skowronek were Book (133rd, New Orleans Saints), defensive end Daelin Hayes (171st, Baltimore Ravens) and defensive end Ade Ogundeji (182nd, Atlanta Falcons).
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