Jackson
Slater.
Jackson
Slater.
Sacramento St.· 6'3"· 311 lb· 5.01s 40
"Slater is a powerful, scheme-versatile interior lineman with the thick lower half and strong hands to stone defensive tackles, but his limited agility raises questions about his impact outside of a phone booth."Pre-draft read
Slater is a phone-booth blocker in the best sense. He plays with a thick lower half, heavy hands and consistent pad level, and when he lands his punch first the rep is over. In the run game he generates movement on down blocks and short pulls, and against bull rushers he sets a firm anchor without giving ground into the pocket.
The limitation is range. At 6-3 with modest foot speed he struggles to reach defenders in wide-zone concepts and can be late climbing to a moving linebacker. He also has to prove the technique transfers — the FCS competition at Sacramento State rarely challenged him with the hand speed and length he will see weekly in the NFL.
The Titans utilize a wide zone run scheme, emphasizing athletic offensive linemen who can reach and cut off defenders, creating horizontal displacement.
Initially a high-upside backup interior lineman, Slater could develop into a starting guard within two seasons, leveraging his movement skills.
A power-gapping, phone-booth interior scheme that prioritizes raw strength and anchor over athleticism.
Slater's athleticism and ability to play in space make him a great fit for the Titans' zone-blocking scheme, offering versatility across the interior.
Sacramento State Offensive Lineman Jackson Slater NFL Pro Day
Sacramento St IOL Jackson Slater 2025 NFL Draft Film Study| 2025 NFL Draft
Jackson Slater. OG. Sacramento State. NFL Draft Prospect 2025 Análisis
Slater arrives from Sacramento State as a multi-year interior starter with the build and grip strength teams look for in a gap-scheme guard: 6-3, 311 pounds, with a 5.01 forty and a 108-inch broad jump that hint at more lower-body pop than his frame suggests.
The strength profile is his ticket. He anchors well against power, resets his hands when the first punch misses and finishes blocks with intent. Interior linemen who can stone a bull rush without help are worth developing, and he did that consistently against the competition in front of him.
The two questions are level of competition and lateral range. FCS defensive tackles do not test hand technique the way NFL three-techniques do, and his best work comes on angles rather than in space. Tennessee is betting on the anchor and the position flexibility — a backup guard who can be trusted in a gap-heavy run scheme is the baseline outcome, and a spot starter is the realistic ceiling if the technique holds up.
- 01
Pocket Anchor
This player rarely gives ground into the pocket, displaying a firm anchor against power.
- 02
Accurate Hands
Slater possesses heavy, accurate hands with the grip strength needed to finish blocks.
- 03
Physical Build
Slater has a thick, well-proportioned build with functional lower-body pop, evidenced by a 108-inch broad jump.
- 04
Starter Experience
This is a multi-year starter with interior position flexibility, able to play both guard and center.
- 05
Leverage Play
Slater consistently plays with good pad level and leverage on down blocks.
- 01
Competition Level
FCS competition means this player's technique is untested against NFL length and hand speed.
- 02
Limited Range
Slater displays limited lateral range, struggling on reach blocks in wide zone schemes.
- 03
Second-Level Climbing
He is late climbing to the second level against moving linebackers.
- 04
Short Arms
Short arms for the position make recovery difficult once Slater is beaten.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.01sp50
- Vertical
- 28.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 108inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
Offensive linemen do not accumulate box-score statistics, so there is no season table here. Games and starts are only listed when an official source publishes them.
Slater's versatility and strong anchor make him a good candidate to follow Gates' career arc as a reliable, scheme-versatile interior backup with starting upside.
Slater shows flashes of Teller's play strength and ability to displace defenders in the run game, projecting as a high-level starter if he refines his technique.
Should Slater struggle with consistency or technique, his floor resembles a player like Froholdt, who carves out a career as a depth interior lineman.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
The Titans took a small-school interior lineman whose strength profile projects cleanly regardless of scheme, which is the usual logic for a fifth-round guard.
The jump in competition is what kept him here. Nothing on the FCS tape disproved him; there just was not enough evidence against NFL-caliber rushers to grade him higher.
The realistic outcome is a swing interior backup for several seasons who starts if a gap-scheme team loses a guard. That is genuine roster value at this cost.
Data note: Offensive linemen do not accumulate box-score statistics, so there is no season table here. Games and starts are only listed when an official source publishes them.