JL Skinner NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Denver Broncos' S
HEIGHT: 6'4"
WEIGHT: 209
HAND: 8 1/4"
ARM: 32"
WINGSPAN: 77 7/8"
40-YARD DASH: N/A
3-CONE: N/A
SHUTTLE: N/A
VERTICAL: N/A
BROAD: N/A
POSITIVES
— Excellent length and size. Very good movement skills for size and position.
— Flashes quick feet and breaking ability, especially when moving forward.
— Matches up well against tight ends and bigger receivers.
— Box and underneath player. Shows toughness and physicality needed to play in the box, with the short-area quickness and length to cover in underneath zones.
— Good run defender who uses his hands when taking on blocks and demonstrates very good tackling.
— Good ball skills to track and play the ball in the air.
NEGATIVES
— Thin frame with room to grow. Lacks some functional strength.
— Can dance around blocks on the edge at times instead of using his size to his advantage.
— Ridged and slow backpedal, combined with some high tightness when swiveling or opening to run.
— Struggles with change-of-direction and top-end speed. Can allow some separation in man coverage. Has struggled a bit when matched up on an island.
2022 STATISTICS
— 12 games, 65 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 4 INT, 5 PBU
NOTES
2022 All-Mountain West first team
2022 Bronko Nagurski Watch List
2022 Jim Thorpe Award Watch List
2021 All-Mountain West second team
OVERALL
JL Skinner is an extremely long safety with excellent size. He fits into the mold of Kyle Hamilton, who was a first-round pick in the 2022 draft. Skinner has the versatility to play multiple positions in the defensive secondary. During the 2022 season, he showed the ability to play from the outside cornerback position, the slot and deep as a safety.
In coverage, he has shown to have a decent backpedal and breaking ability, especially when he can keep his eyes on the ball. When playing out wide, his lack of twitch and change-of-direction can show up. Skinner flashes quick feet and a good burst at times, but more often than not, he is slow out of his breaks and gives the receiver a step or two. Also, his hip tightness can show up when he is asked to open and run.
Skinner performs best when he is able to play on top of routes and watch the quarterback throw the ball. When playing from the slot, Skinner does best when breaking forward. His short-area quickness allows him to close ground quickly, and added length aids in his ability to break up passes. Skinner looks to be at his best when he is playing safety from depth. Just like at cornerback, this allows his to see routes develop and open when necessary to stay on top of routes.
When playing the run, Skinner has shown to be a very good run defender. He reacts quickly to what he sees and tracks the ball-carrier with speed and bad intentions. He demonstrates patience and vision when coming down to fill running lanes. Skinner does a great job of keeping leverage in the run game and not letting the ball get outside of him. On contact, he fronts up ball-carriers when he can and looks to deliver big blows. When taking on blocks, he shows very good physicality to control and quickly disengage. He also shows the ability to avoid blocks in space.
Ultimately, Skinner is a unique prospect in this class. Although he can be compared to prospects in previous drafts, he is a one-of-a-kind player. One of the easiest comparisons to Skinner would be Hamilton. Although he doesn't have the elite ball skills and coverage skills Hamilton showed, he most definitely shows up similarly in the run game. Skinner's unique size and versatility will put him among the top safeties in the draft, but he will still need to refine his skills at the next level.
GRADE: 6.9 (Potential Role Player/Round 4)
OVERALL RANK: 97
POSITION RANK: S7
PRO COMPARISON: Kyle Hamilton
Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings
