Introducing the 183rd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, JL Skinner!

JL Skinner, a California native and safety out of Boise State, has joined the ranks of the 2023 Draft Class with pick 183 in the sixth rounch!

There’s no shortage of excitement from him or disappointment for not going in the earlier rounds — he feels he went exactly when he was meant to, and into the “right hands,” as he described.

This wasn’t Skinner’s first contact with the Broncos, either. He mentioned a pleasant meeting that he’d had with them prior, as well as some contact at the NFL combine.

“I’m very excited to get up there to Denver. I’m really blessed to be in this position,” Skinner shared.

Regarding his strengths and where he’d like to improve, the safety indicated a desire to become more consistent in his coverage of slot players. “My strengths—I’m very versatile, very physical. I’m somebody that knows the game very well, and I use that to my advantage,” he said.

“I would say I’m very smart player, very physical. I’d say maybe I need to work with covering those smaller slot [receivers], especially getting into the NFL.”

When asked about why he fell to the sixth round, Skinner noted a pectoral injury just two days before the combine. His recovery is going very well — he’s back to normal activities already, and he expects to be at 100% in a month.

Despite this setback, Skinner doesn’t consider going in the sixth round to be a drop. “I consider it me being placed into the correct hands,” he explained, “The Denver Broncos are the correct hands for me and I’m excited to be out there.”

One thing that Skinner’s excited about is picking the brains of the exceptional secondary players on Denver’s lineup, especially S Justin Simmons and CB Pat Surtain II.

“I know those guys. I’ve looked at them. Pat Surtain was one of my favorite corners when he came out at that moment,” he admitted, “Looking at that guy, being able to pick his brain and learn from all those guys inside the room right now—I’m excited to really get up there and pick those guys’—those veteran guys’—brains, for sure.”

Asked where he sees himself playing at the safety position, Skinner hopes to be a fit wherever he’s needed.

“At my school, we did a lot of both...so just depending on those situations and what the Denver Broncos want me to do, I’m able to do both.”