Boise State’s top safety Skinner extends Broncos’ draft streak to 14 years

Former Boise State safety JL Skinner is heading to Denver.

The Broncos picked Skinner with the sixth pick in the sixth round (No. 183 overall) of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

Boise State has now had at least one player drafted 14 years in a row, dating to 2010.

Skinner is the first safety from Boise State to be drafted since the New York Giants picked Darian Thompson in the third round in 2016.

Skinner was the third Mountain West player drafted, following Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener, who went to New Orleans, and San Jose State defensive lineman Villami Fehoko, who went to Dallas. Both came off the board in the fourth round.

He was the 13th safety to come off the board in this year’s draft, but ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay thinks Skinner may be a steal.

“This guy is a big-time hitter,” McShay said on ESPN’s broadcast. “He didn’t run the 40 (before the draft). That’s not his game, but my goodness he closes. Keep things in front of him, allow him to play in the box, allow him to match up against tight ends because he’s got that size and he’ll be successful.”

McShay compared Skinner to former Boise State safety George Iloka, whom the Bengals picked in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. He also played for the Cowboys and Vikings.

“His length, his strength, his striking power and his ball skills, he’s a difference maker,” McShay said of Skinner. “I didn’t think he’d last this long. I get he doesn’t have the change of direction and coverage skills, but he’s going to be a darn good cover guy on kicks and he’s going to contribute almost like a dime linebacker in certain packages.”

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Skinner had to wait longer than most expected to hear his named announced. Mock drafts had him coming off the board anywhere from the second to the fifth rounds, and most analysts gave him a third-round grade.

After a mountain of setbacks, including a death in the family and a torn pectoral muscle that forced him to miss the NFL Scouting Combine and Boise State’s Pro Day, Skinner fell to the sixth round. But Broncos General Manager George Paton sounded pretty confident Saturday afternoon that Denver found a player that fit exactly what it was looking for.

“The first thing you see is his size — he’s almost 6-4 — and his athletic ability for that size, we thought, was unique,” Paton said during a press conference. “The short area quickness, the range, and you see the ball skills on tape. The thing that really sticks out is the physicality and playing downhill in the run game.”

Paton admitted Skinner’s injury impacted where he was drafted, but he added “we felt really fortunate to get him where we did.”

Skinner said the Broncos were one of the teams he held a Zoom call with during the pre-draft process. He also said during a conference call with reporters that he’s about a month from being fully healed from his injury.

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Skinner could have entered his name into the draft last year, but he returned for his senior season to graduate and help the Broncos win a Mountain West championship.

Boise State fell just short of a conference title after losing to Fresno State in the championship game, but Skinner is on track to graduate this spring with a psychology degree.

He said he feels older and wiser after returning to school, and that’s going to pay off in the NFL.

“I’m somebody that knows the game very well, and I use that to my advantage,” he said. “I would say I’m a very smart player, very physical. I would say the main thing I need to work on is just covering those smaller slot (receivers), especially getting into the NFL world.”

Skinner has shown he isn’t shy about creating bone-jarring collisions. In 2021, he laid a massive hit on Oklahoma State wide receiver Brennan Pressley, which made ESPN’s top 10 plays.

The San Diego native was a three-year starter at Boise State. He was named second-team All-Mountain West after leading the Broncos with 92 tackles in 2021. He made the first-team cut after posting 65 tackles and a team-high four interceptions last season.

Skinner finished his college career with 208 tackles and seven interceptions.

Boise State draft picks since 2010

2010 — DB Kyle Wilson

2011 — WR Titus Young; WR Austin Pettis; DB Brandyn Thompson

2012 — DE Shea McClellin; RB Doug Martin; DE Tyrone Crawford; DB George Iloka; DT Billy Winn; OT Nate Potter

2013 — DB Jamar Taylor

2014 — DE DeMarcus Lawrence; C Matt Paradis; OT Charles Leno

2015 — RB Jay Ajayi

2016 — LB Kamalei Correa; DB Darian Thompson; OT Rees Odhiambo

2017 — RB Jeremy McNichols; LB Tanner Vallejo

2018 — LB Leighton Vander Esch; WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.

2019 — RB Alexander Mattison

2020 — OT Ezra Cleveland; DE Curtis Weaver; WR John Hightower

2021 — TE John Bates; DB Avery Williams

2022 — WR Khalil Shakir

2023 — S JL Skinner; DT Scott Matlock