The Green Bay Packers’ lack of interior depth on the offensive line reared its ugly head during the Wild Card loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
When Elgton Jenkins left the game due to injury, Travis Glover and Kadeem Telfort struggled to answer the bell with Jordan Morgan on injured reserve.
With Josh Myers potentially on his way out the door this offseason, Brian Gutekunst must address the interior of the offensive line. A potential target during the 2025 NFL Draft is Jackson Slater. The Sacramento State offensive lineman checks in at No. 92 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.
Slater finished his career at Sacramento State with 44 career starts, 42 at left guard and two at left tackle. This past season, he started nine games at left guard before suffering a knee injury.
“Being able to go there and see the field early and have success as a team most of my time there was awesome,” Slater said. “I met a bunch of my closest friends and my girlfriend as well, the experience is one I will always cherish and I’m grateful it went so well.”
Slater shows good initial quickness to fly out of his stance. Slater has strong hands and works hard to sustain, consistently creating movement in the ground game to open up running lanes. The 44-game starter is comfortable out in space and moves well laterally.
“I think overall I do a good job, I know I need to improve on my physicality as a run blocker and find ways to generate more finishes,” Slater said. “You’ll rarely see me unattached to my assignment, which I think is the most important part of having a good run game. Additionally, I think my strong suit is being out in space on screens, power, pin and pull, as I’m always head hunting trying to take dudes out.”
Slater is assignment sound in pass protection. He’s efficient in his pass sets and coordinated in his shuffle. He has the core strength to anchor against power. Over the course of the past two seasons, Slater gave up zero sacks and 14 pressures.
“I think I’m a very consistent player,” Slater said. “A big part of pass protection is being able to work as a unit. I think throughout my time at Sacramento State all of the offensive line units I’ve played with have been able to find good chemistry and understand who needs to do what. I think I have strong hands, good redirection skills, and find ways to do my job in a savvy way, which allows me to protect to the best of my ability. I think my athleticism helps me find ways out of potentially bad situations.”
During his time at Sacramento State, Slater logged 2,985 snaps at left guard, 202 at left tackle and five at center. While his best position is at guard, Slater is confident that he could play all five positions at a high level.
“I think if necessary I could play all five positions,” Slater said. “Right now I’m mainly focusing on the interior positions, as that’s where I’m viewed at the next level, but I’m confident I have the intelligence and athleticism to understand and dominate at any position on the field.”
Slater was featured on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks list before the start of the season. He was No. 87 on the list that included 101 players.
“I’ve always taken the weight room very seriously,” Slater said. “Ever since my sophomore year in high school. I think it’s important to have a strong foundation to be a good ball player and avoid injury. I’ve always stayed consistent with the lifting and running aspects of my training.”
Fit with the Packers
The Packers could be losing Myers to free agency this offseason and if the Packers don’t re-sign their starting center there will be some changes to the starting five.
If Myers isn’t re-signed Jenkins could move from left guard to center and Morgan could get the nod to start at left guard.
If that’s the case, the Packers will need to add an interior offensive lineman this offseason, and they’ll likely prioritize versatility.
Slater has started games at left guard and left tackle and even took five snaps at center this past season. The Sacramento State offensive lineman will most likely get some reps at center during Senior Bowl week and teams could view him as a player with the versatility to play all five positions.
“I think I’m a great get for any team,” Slater said. “My versatility and understanding of multiple positions on the offensive line is a huge asset. I’m always working to improve and develop all assets of my game. If you give me an assignment it will always be done the right way and successfully. I think overall I’m a very dependable and a low-drama player who wants to add value to an organization in any way I can.”
The Packers have had a ton of success finding quality offensive linemen on Day 3 of the draft. With his athleticism, versatility and football IQ, Slater could be high on Green Bay’s board when Day 3 of the draft starts.
