Tennessee Titans fans finally get a chance to watch their 1st round pick

Throughout training camp, Tennessee Titans fans have gotten to see rookie quarterback Will Levis in dozens of clips released by the team. It has happened so often, that I fully expect that some small group of media members have forgotten that he wasn't actually the team's top pick.

With the 11th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans drafted Peter Skoronski. While an experiment at tackle may be in his future down the road, there is a 99% chance that the former Northwestern tackle is going to start his career as the new left guard.

Given how secretive the Tennessee Titans are with their practice videos, it isn't a surprise that we haven't seen much of Skoronski so far. While other teams post clips of individual drills and other work that their offensive linemen get, that really doesn't happen under Mike Vrabel.

Still, even if the Titans did post clips like that, practice reps in training camp don't really tell the full story for offensive linemen. It isn't like when you get to see a great throw from a quarterback or a great catch by a tight end or receiver. There is a level of physicality that you just can't replicate in those sterile environments.

Games are more important than practice for the Tennessee Titans offensive line

Whether you are talking about finishing blocks, cut blocks, or getting chippy with defenders, offensive linemen really aren't free to do that in practice the same way that they can in a game setting.

That will all change in about 24 hours when Peter Skoronski will line up and be able to put his hands on defenders in ways that he hasn't been able to before.

No one should expect Skoronski to play for long, but I would imagine that all (or nearly all) of the starting offensive line will get a series or two before the coaching staff thinks about letting them rest for the day.

That is an area where the Tennessee Titans need clarity and unlike a lot of other positions, what these guys are able to do in the preseason games should matter more than what they do on the practice field.

Skoronski was the first pick of the Mike Vrabel/Ran Carthon era and they are on the record saying that they drafted him ahead of Will Levis even though they had first-round grades on both players. If you are going to draft a similarly graded guard over a quarterback, he better be an outstanding player, and Saturday's game against the Chicago Bears will give fans their first glimpse into whether that was a smart decision or not.