Mile High Report
Jackson Slater could be someone to target on day three of the 2025 NFL Draft
The best offensive linemen have a little attitude to them. There’s a certain way the great ones carry themselves on the field. Just look at Quinn Meinerz, Quenton Nelson, or Zack Martin to name a recent few. You know the kind of brand they bring. They’re physical and nasty and love to bully opposing defenders. I think that Sacramento State’s Jackson Slater can be just that for the Broncos.
Slater took over the starting spot at left guard in his first year at Sac State and would never give up his grip over it. In his Sophomore and Junior seasons he would become just the second ever Hornet offensive lineman (shout out to my college coach Jon Osterhout as the other one) to earn First Team All-Big Sky honors in consecutive years, much in thanks to being a core piece of an offense that rushed for over 3,000 yards in 2022. He’d earn the reputation of being a smash mouth offensive guard.
Even with a knee injury in Week 9 of the 2024 season suffered against Portland State, Slater would still be named to AP’s FCS First Team All-American squad, as well as First Team All-Big Sky. Before the injury he started nine games and did not give up a single sack or QB hit. He’d go one to finish his time at Sac State with 44 career starts.
Weaknesses
Mark my words - some zone-heavy team is going to steal this kid in the mid rounds and look like geniuses by midseason. The combination of pass protection polish, positional versatility, and untapped athletic upside is exactly what smart offensive line coaches dream about. Give him a year to fully recover and master an NFL system, and you’re looking at a 10-year starter who can play any interior spot at a winning level.
In vertical running schemes like inside zone or duo, Slater poses as a cut-and-dry fit. His ability to move bodies...
