Zach Skinner
Contents
Professional career
In Skinner's first season, he was picked up halfway throughout the year by the Portland Pythons, and while he wasn't immediately as dominant as he had hoped, he was a key cog in helping the team get to the playoffs on the back of a defensive unit that improved markedly after a few key pickups. Notably, it was said of Skinner that it was a shame after he was drafted because he wouldn't get to experience a playoff run, which was far from the truth.
Once in the playoffs, not much was expected of Skinner, who had, in his limited time frame, only managed seven tackles and two tackles for a loss, but he had his best game in Portland in his first playoff game, motoring his way to six tackles, three tackles for a loss, and his first career sack. Unfortunately, the Pythons would lose that heart-breaker of a game.
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
290 lb (132 kg) |
37+2⁄8 in (0.95 m) |
10+5⁄8 in (0.27 m) |
4.53 s | 4.59 s | 7.58 s | 26.7 in (0.68 m) |
9 ft 4.1 in (2.85 m) |
31 reps | 12 | ||
| 2022 NSFL Scouting Combine | ||||||||||||
That next year, after Skinner had been drafted in the second round by the Yellowknife Wraiths, he came back as a much better player, and with ten pounds of muscle added to his already massive frame. As the lead man of a dominant defensive line including DSFL rookies James Brown at defensive tackle and Young Spaghetti at the other defensive end spot, Skinner showed the results of his offseason training, improving on his 2021 (S6) numbers of 7 tackles and 2 TFL to post 31 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, and four sacks, helping the Pythons to post the best record in DSFL history at 12-2 and storm into the playoffs. Skinner notched an additional two sacks in the playoff game and Ultimini V, where Portland avenged its first-round exit a season ago.
After his second season, Zach Skinner left the Pythons to join the NSFL squad that had picked him up, the Yellowknife Wraiths. He immediately earned a starting spot on the defensive line, but due to the presence of two established veteran studs in edge rushers Justin Tuck and Ricky Maddox, he was forced to bump inside to nose tackle, where he still produced decent numbers, 27 tackles and 4 sacks, both very good from that position, but only two tackles for a loss. In the playoffs, the Wraiths became NSFL champions, despite Skinners lackluster 3 tackles in their two games. With that, he was a champion two years in a row.
Going into his fourth professional season, and second as a Yellowknife Wraith, Skinner practically has a starting job at end, as Justin Tuck left for the New Orleans Second Line in free agency, leaving Skinner and Ricky Maddox as the top two defensive linemen on Yellowknife's roster. With this, as well as his productive offseason, Skinner was aiming for a much improved, and more productive, campaign. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to go his way. Skinner tallied 27 tackles, the same as the previous year, but set his NSFL career highs in tackles for loss (7) and an overall career high in sacks (5). It wasn't enough, though, to make the playoffs, or to improve upon the previous year enough for an NSFL pro bowl nod.
Because of the disappointing season, Skinner redoubled his efforts, going into the 2025 season in a frenzy. He wanted to make a name for himself in this league, and he planned on racking up double digit sacks for the first time since his days at the University of Tennessee. He struggled early on, as the Wraiths stumbled to a 1-3 opening month with their defensive end tallying only four total tackles, one for a loss.
Professional career
In Skinner's first season, he was picked up halfway throughout the year by the Portland Pythons, and while he wasn't immediately as dominant as he had hoped, he was a key cog in helping the team get to the playoffs on the back of a defensive unit that improved markedly after a few key pickups. Notably, it was said of Skinner that it was a shame after he was drafted because he wouldn't get to experience a playoff run, which was far from the truth.
Once in the playoffs, not much was expected of Skinner, who had, in his limited time frame, only managed seven tackles and two tackles for a loss, but he had his best game in Portland in his first playoff game, motoring his way to six tackles, three tackles for a loss, and his first career sack. Unfortunately, the Pythons would lose that heart-breaker of a game.
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
290 lb (132 kg) |
37+2⁄8 in (0.95 m) |
10+5⁄8 in (0.27 m) |
4.53 s | 4.59 s | 7.58 s | 26.7 in (0.68 m) |
9 ft 4.1 in (2.85 m) |
31 reps | 12 | ||
| 2022 NSFL Scouting Combine | ||||||||||||
That next year, after Skinner had been drafted in the second round by the Yellowknife Wraiths, he came back as a much better player, and with ten pounds of muscle added to his already massive frame. As the lead man of a dominant defensive line including DSFL rookies James Brown at defensive tackle and Young Spaghetti at the other defensive end spot, Skinner showed the results of his offseason training, improving on his 2021 (S6) numbers of 7 tackles and 2 TFL to post 31 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, and four sacks, helping the Pythons to post the best record in DSFL history at 12-2 and storm into the playoffs. Skinner notched an additional two sacks in the playoff game and Ultimini V, where Portland avenged its first-round exit a season ago.
After his second season, Zach Skinner left the Pythons to join the NSFL squad that had picked him up, the Yellowknife Wraiths. He immediately earned a starting spot on the defensive line, but due to the presence of two established veteran studs in edge rushers Justin Tuck and Ricky Maddox, he was forced to bump inside to nose tackle, where he still produced decent numbers, 27 tackles and 4 sacks, both very good from that position, but only two tackles for a loss. In the playoffs, the Wraiths became NSFL champions, despite Skinners lackluster 3 tackles in their two games. With that, he was a champion two years in a row.
Going into his fourth professional season, and second as a Yellowknife Wraith, Skinner practically has a starting job at end, as Justin Tuck left for the New Orleans Second Line in free agency, leaving Skinner and Ricky Maddox as the top two defensive linemen on Yellowknife's roster. With this, as well as his productive offseason, Skinner was aiming for a much improved, and more productive, campaign. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to go his way. Skinner tallied 27 tackles, the same as the previous year, but set his NSFL career highs in tackles for loss (7) and an overall career high in sacks (5). It wasn't enough, though, to make the playoffs, or to improve upon the previous year enough for an NSFL pro bowl nod.
Because of the disappointing season, Skinner redoubled his efforts, going into the 2025 season in a frenzy. He wanted to make a name for himself in this league, and he planned on racking up double digit sacks for the first time since his days at the University of Tennessee. He struggled early on, as the Wraiths stumbled to a 1-3 opening month with their defensive end tallying only four total tackles, one for a loss. By the end of that season, however, despite another missed playoff for the Wraiths, Skinner had the best season of his career thus far, tallying 27 tackles once again to go along with an NSFL career high of 10 tackles for a loss and, once more, five sacks.
In 2026, however, his production declined, falling to 25 tackles, six for a loss, and just five sacks. With another poor showing, the Wraiths had a management change that offseason, and Skinner had a decision to make heading into free agency. He reached out to the Baltimore Hawks as well as the New Orleans Secondline, hoping to improve his own production with a change of scenery while also pushing for a championship win that he hadn't seen since his initial NSFL campaign. But despite that, and the Yellowknife management offering to trade him if he wished to leave the team, he decided, to remain with the team that had drafted him.
Professional career statistics
| Career statistics | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Season | Games | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 (S6) | POR | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 2022 (S7) | POR | 14 | 31 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| 2023 (S8) | YKW | 14 | 27 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 14 |
| 2024 (S9) | YKW | 14 | 27 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 14 |
| 2025 (S10) | YKW | 14 | 27 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 14 |
| 2026 (S11) | YKW | 14 | 25 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| 2026 (S11) | YKW | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
Awards
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Awards
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