Rashawn
Slater.
Rashawn
Slater.
Northwestern· 6'4"· 304 lb· 4.91s 40
"33-inch arms, an Ohio State tape against Chase Young, and no reason to project him anywhere but left tackle. The bear case and the bull case share the same root, and the film settles the argument."Pre-draft read
This left tackle plays with a guard's base and wins with footwork, quick hands, and core strength rather than biometric length. He employs a deep set to a recovery point, followed by an anchor pop that absorbs bull rushes effectively. His hand reset is elite, featuring multiple punches per rep with an active wrist throughout.
In the run game, he excels at drive-blocking up front and demonstrating intelligent angles to climb to the second level. His structural vulnerability lies in deep sets against longer-armed edge defenders who can win initially with reach, a technical issue that can be mitigated by a more aggressive, hands-first vertical set.
Slater is an ideal fit for a Shanahan wide-zone or outside-zone run scheme that prioritizes athletic offensive linemen capable of executing a variety of blocks.
Immediate starter at Left Tackle, with a ceiling to be a perennial Pro Bowl protector.
A power-run, gap scheme that relies on pure mass and arm length over agility would underutilize his strengths.
A highly technical and athletic tackle who wins with movement and hand usage, projecting as a Day 1 starter despite arm length concerns.
10 for 10: OT Rashawn Slater — 2021 pre-draft profile
Chargers LT Rashawn Slater Film Breakdown (Week 1 rookie tape)
Rashawn Slater's secret crossover — Chargers technique breakdown
This tackle prospect projects as a technically proficient left tackle, well-suited for a team prioritizing strong pass protection and a scheme-versatile run blocker. Despite concerns about his arm length, his on-field performance against top competition showcased advanced technique and athleticism, making him an immediate plug-and-play starter.
He started for three years at Northwestern, initially at right tackle and then at left tackle for two seasons before opting out of the 2020 season. His standout performance against Chase Young in 2019, where he allowed no quarterback pressures, solidified his reputation as a top-tier pass protector. This single game provided compelling evidence of his ability to execute high-level technique against elite talent.
The primary flag on his evaluation concerned his arm length, which led some evaluators to project him as an interior lineman. Despite this debate, most boards had him as a top prospect, and he was ultimately drafted 13th overall, indicating that teams valued his proven technique and athleticism over traditional length thresholds for the tackle position.
- 01
Elite pass-block technique
Elite pass-block technique — Displayed elite pass-blocking technique against top competition, allowing no pressures versus Chase Young over 60 snaps.
- 02
Top percentile athlete
Top percentile athlete — Possesses an athletic testing profile placing him in the top percentile for offensive tackles.
- 03
Quick-set, mirror technique
Quick-set, mirror technique — Shows quick-set ability and excellent mirror technique with precise hand placement and first-step lateral quickness.
- 04
Two seasons Left Tackle
Two seasons Left Tackle — Provides substantial tape volume from two full seasons as a left tackle, confirming consistency against Power-5 fronts.
- 05
Strong zone run blocker
Strong zone run blocker — Demonstrates a strong understanding of zone-scheme run blocking, executing blocks with proper angles and hand placement.
- 01
Sub-threshold arm length
Sub-threshold arm length — Arm length measured at 33 inches, shorter than the traditional prototype for an NFL left tackle.
- 02
Opted out 2020 season
Opted out 2020 season — Opted out of the 2020 season, raising questions about potential rust and re-acclimation speed.
- 03
Undersized frame
Undersized frame — His 304-pound frame suggests a potential growth area for anchoring against true NFL bull rushes.
- 04
Split projection
Split projection — Experienced a split projection between left tackle and guard on some draft boards.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.91sp50
- Vertical
- 33inp50
- Broad jump
- 112inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.48sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.45sp50
- Bench
- 33repp50
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Northwestern | 12 |
| 2018 | Northwestern | 14 |
| 2019 | Northwestern | 11 |
| Career | — | 37 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
High-floor lineman with tackle/guard flexibility, quality movement skills and a game built on technique more than raw mass.
Smooth, athletic tackle whose feet, angles and balance can make him a long-term blindside answer despite non-ideal length.
Talented mover whose size profile and durability/fit questions could push him inside or keep him from becoming a true franchise tackle.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
2021 (rookie, LAC): Week-1 LT starter, 16 full games, Pro Bowl, Second-team All-Pro. 2022: torn left patellar tendon in Week 3, out for the season. 2023: return to full-time LT, 16 games, Pro Bowl — protected Herbert as a top-8 LT in the sport per PFF. 2024: September — 4-year/$114M extension ($92M guaranteed), OT record at the time. October: right patellar tendon, out for the season. 2025 (LAC): Week-1 return, Pro Bowl level maintained — 8 games with 0 sacks allowed to date, cornerstone of Herbert's protection. Career_av: 32.
Slater is the cleanest evaluation of the 2021 class outside Chase, Sewell and Surtain because the bear case and the bull case share one root: length. With 33" arms, the classic NFL board would have moved him to guard — the historical LT threshold is 34"+, and data from OL Guys and Duke Manyweather shows sub-34" tackles have a higher failure rate on deep sets against elite edges. But one game breaks the argument: October 2019, Northwestern vs. Ohio State, Chase Young — that season's 16.5-sack Bednarik + Nagurski winner — didn't collect a QB pressure in 44 dropbacks. Zero. That tape circulated inside the NFL as the definitive scouting clip of the cycle: Slater won it with deep footwork, an active-wrist hand reset, and a guard's anchor when Young tried to convert speed into power late in the set. It was the clean technician beating the best college edge in the sport, rep after rep.
The pro day validated the athleticism — 4.88 forty at 304 lbs, 7.48 three-cone, 34.5" vertical — which, combined with the hand reset and core strength, made him the LT2 behind Sewell on several boards. The Chargers grabbed him at #13 with Justin Herbert entering year two and an explicit plan to plant the left corner for a decade. The likely comp is Rodger Saffold — technical LT/guard who played 12 NFL seasons with two Pro Bowls and an all-decade top-15 floor at the position. The high comp is Joe Thomas: same technical LT profile with deep-set process and an anchor that wins not with length but with perfect hand timing. The low is Andrew Whitworth early-career: competent LT who makes the offense work without being the guy who wins the game alone.
Post-draft the arc has hit almost exactly the likely comp: Second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2021, a patellar tendon tear in 2022 that cost him the year, a 2023 return with a Pro Bowl, a September 2024 extension for 4-year/$114M ($92M guaranteed) — the OT record at the time — and a new patellar-tendon tear on the other side in October 2024 that cost him the rest of the season. Now in 2025 he's back starting at Pro Bowl level. Length was never the real problem; knee health is the only remaining question.