The Chargers landed a gem in offensive tackle Rashawn Slater with their first-round pick in this year’s draft.
How did Slater do during the offseason workouts the past couple of months? ESPN’s Shelley Smith was in attendance for the team’s organized team activities, where she was able to see him firsthand.
Slater is solid, if not a bit smaller than you would expect. Nicknamed “The Wall,” he opted out of the 2020 season at Northwestern, but in 2019 he allowed zero sacks and was awesome against Ohio State’s star pass-rusher Chase Young, the No. 2 overall pick last year. There were some pre-draft questions about Slater’s arm length, which didn’t seem to pose a problem in shorts and cleats.
Smith highlights Slater’s physical traits, which were seen as a potential issue for him to stick at the tackle at this level throughout the pre-draft process. However, he has appeared to defy the odds in the early going.
While there may still be concerns with Slater’s long-term outlook at tackle, he is technically sound, very intelligent, physical and consistent which shows both in the pass- and run-blocking department to stick around there.
During OTAs, Slater was with the first-team offense, with the rest of the line consisting of Matt Feiler at left guard, Corey Linsley at center, Oday Aboushi at right guard and Bryan Bulaga at right tackle.
Even though there wasn’t any contact, it’s good to hear that Slater did well this spring. Onto training camp next month, where he will really get to show his worth in one-on-ones against edge defender Joey Bosa.