NFL Draft 2021: Los Angeles Rams Select Notre Dame & Northwestern WR Ben Skowronek

The Los Angeles Rams have selected former Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Northwestern wide receiver Ben Skowronek with one of their three seventh round selections.

Skowronek was the ninth Irish player to be taken in the 2021 NFL Draft and was the 249th pick overall. His rookie contract will be worth $3,564,524, with an $84,524 signing bonus.

The 6-foot-2, 220 pound wideout was a fun add to the Irish for his graduate year. His 29 catches for 439 yards and 5 touchdowns were pretty similar to his best year at Northwestern (2017, although that was 13 games).

While he certainly has a injury history — the ankle injury with the Wildcats, the hamstring issues with the Irish and the foot fracture during Senior Bowl practices — the Rams apparently like his size and catch radius.

Skowronek can look to his uncle for advice about the NFL if he ultimately makes the 52-man roster. Trent Green played 17 seasons in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers, Washington, St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins.

Bottom line on Skowronek, courtesy of The Athletic’s Dane Brugler: “Skowronek allows defensive backs to stay on top of him, but his catch radius and competitive chops will give him a chance at sticking on an NFL roster. He projects as a back-end receiver or tight end who will make an impact on special teams.”