Jackson Slater, Sacramento State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Slater was a two-star recruit from Newport High School in Bellevue, Wash. in the class of 2021

Sacramento State guard Jackson Slater ranked among the top performers at the Senior Bowl earlier this year. The FCS All-American offers excellent mobility in the run game and a high floor in pass protection. He projects as a Day 3 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more opinions on prospects, clips, and the latest football content.

Jackson Slater, G Sacramento State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior left guard from Bellevue, Wash.

Background: Slater was a two-star recruit from Newport High School in Bellevue, Wash. in the class of 2021. He was a three-star recruit for 247Sports and their No. 143 ranked interior offensive lineman in the class. Slater was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals. He didn’t receive a star rating or grade out of 100 from ESPN. He played center, guard, and offensive tackle for Newport. Slater earned Second Team All-KingCo 4A honors as a sophomore and junior. He also played on the defensive line as a senior, amassing 20 tackles and three passes defensed in four games. Slater blocked three field goals as a junior. He was a team captain in his final two seasons. His father, John, played football at Western Washington. Slater also lettered in baseball, basketball, and track and field.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed the final three games in 2024 after suffering a season-ending right knee injury vs. Portland State, strained his hamstring running the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine

Awards: 2022 First Team All-Big Sky, 2022 Third Team FCS All-American (AP), 2022 HERO Sports Sophomore All-American, 2023 First Team All-Big Sky, 2024 First Team All-Big Sky, 2024 First Team FCS All-American (AP, Stats Perform)

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt coverage and field goal units, experience at left tackle and left guard, showed competency on very limited center snaps vs. San Jose State (2024), played some center in high school, rarely penalized, low pad level in pass pro, quickly releases from the line, smooth and quick slide in pass set, speed to mirror interior rushers, range in pass pro, feet stay engaged throughout the rep, explosive jump set with heavy hands, independent hand usage, tight hand placement in pass pro to protect chest, flashes of firm punches to redirect rushers, resets hands to establish and maintain leverage, wide base in pass pro, anchor impresses, core strength and powerful trunk, rarely threatened by power, balance impressed during Senior Bowl 1-on-1s, quickly redirects for stunts, awareness to support his LT and prevent quick losses, run game range, speed and aiming points on gap pulls, examples of well-executed reach blocks, comfortable working to the second level

Cons: Mediocre arm length, two-handed punches make him vulnerable to spins, strike placement exposes outside shoulder sometimes, occasionally loses his shoulder quickly, needs more patience in pass pro to maintain posture and balance, chest extends over knees to chase rushers in pass pro, pad level slides up in the run game, lunging in run game makes him vulnerable to swims, ducks head into some run blocks, doesn’t generate significant vertical displacement, stacked and shed in run game too often, needs to latch and stay attached on run blocks

Overview: Slater played nearly 3,000 snaps at left guard and just over 200 snaps at left tackle for Sacramento State. He possesses the strength to stick at guard, but his undersized frame and 32-inch arms might cause some teams to inquire about his willingness to play center, a position he gained experience at during high school. Slater adopts a low level in pass protection. He quickly releases from his stance and enters a smooth and quick pass set that helps him mirror interior rushers. His range in pass protection isn’t elite, but it more than checks the box. Slater keeps his feet engaged throughout the play, resetting his base and ensuring he remains attached to the pass rusher. The senior jump sets and attacks defensive tackles with heavy hands. He needs to refine his strike placement to protect his outside shoulder, but his hand usage is pretty impressive. Slater deploys independent hands and firm punches that redirect rushers, sometimes kicking them from the B-gap all the way into the C-gap. His tight hand placement keeps defenders out of his chest despite his limited arm length. The FCS All-American frequently resets his hands to maintain leverage or re-frame the block. He gets himself in trouble with the occasional two-handed punch that leaves him vulnerable to spin moves. Slater maintains a wide base and uses his impressive anchor and core strength to grind down power rushes. He rarely lost to bull rushes on tape and had an impressive showing during the 1-on-1 portion of Senior Bowl practices against elite FBS opponents. Slater needs to be more patient in pass protection to avoid extending his chest over his knees and chasing pass rushers. He’ll be able to maintain his balance more often by forcing defensive linemen to take the fight to him rather than being overly aggressive. Slater showcases good awareness to pick up stunts and support his left tackle when the tackle suffers a quick loss in pass protection. Slater’s impact on the run game is very scheme dependent. His speed and range jump off the tape. He takes good angles on pulls and arrives with nice speed and force. However, he struggles to generate vertical displacement when isolated with defensive tackles. Slater’s pad level gets pried up in the run game, and he lunges or ducks his head into blocks. FCS linemen effectively stacked and shed his blocks too often when he was operating within the tackle box. He needs to play in a scheme that prioritizes getting him on the move and to the perimeter.

Overall, Slater is a stout pass protector with impressive aggression and hand usage. He’s a scheme dependent contributor in the run game who offers impressive speed to execute long pulls or land blocks on the perimeter. Slater’s lack of size and mass remains his biggest obstacle to seeing playing time in the NFL. Don’t rule out a conversion to center.

Role & Scheme Fit: Left guard in a wide zone scheme

Round Grade: Fifth Round

Size: 6'3", 311 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 02-04-25

Updated: 03-13-25