The Green Bay Packers’ lack of interior depth on the offensive line was evident in their wild-card loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
When Elgton Jenkins left the field with an injury, Travis Glover and Kadeem Telfort struggled to answer the bell, and Jordan Morgan was on injured substitute.
With Josh Myers potentially leaving the team this offseason, Brian Gutekunst must address the interior offensive line. Jackson Slater is a potential target in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Sacramento State offensive lineman checks in at No. 92 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
Slater finished his Sacramento State career with 44 career starts, 42 at left guard and two at left tackle. He played nine games at left back last season before suffering a knee injury.
“Being able to go there, see the field early and have success as a team for most of my time there was amazing,” Slater said. “I met a bunch of my closest friends and my girlfriend. I will always treasure this experience and am grateful that everything went so well.”
Slater shows good initial release speed from his position. Slater has powerful hands and works tough to maintain that, consistently creating movement in the ground game to open up running lanes. The 44-game point guard is comfortable in space and moves well laterally.
“I think overall I’m doing a good job. I know I need to improve my physical conditioning as a run blocker and find ways to get more finishes,” Slater said. “You will rarely see me not committed to my task, which in my opinion is the most important element of a good running game. Other than that, I think my forte is being in space on screens, powering, pinning and pulling because I’m always headhunting, trying to take guys out.”
Slater is the sound of assignment in pass protection. He is effective in passing sets and coordinated in shuffling. He has a core strength that allows him to anchor himself against authority. Over the past two seasons, Slater has given up no sacks and 14 pressures.
“I think I’m a very consistent player,” Slater said. “A substantial part of pass protection is being able to work as a unit. Throughout my time at Sacramento State, I think all the offensive units I played with were able to find good chemistry and understand who was supposed to do what. I think I have powerful hands, good redirection skills, and I find ways to do my job in a sharp way that allows me to protect to the best of my ability. I think my athleticism helps me find my way out of potentially bad situations.
During his career at Sacramento State, Slater logged 2,985 snaps at left guard, 202 at left guard and five at center. Although his best position is defensive, Slater is confident he could play all five positions at a high level.
“I think I could play all five positions if needed,” Slater said. “At the moment I’m mainly focusing on the interior positions because that’s where I’m seen at a higher level, but I’m sure I have the intelligence and athleticism to understand and dominate any position on the pitch.”
Slater appeared on the Bruce Feldman show Freaks list before the season starts. He was placed 87th on a list of 101 players.
“I always took the weight room very seriously,” Slater said. “Since my second year of high school. I think it’s important to have a strong foundation to be a good player and avoid injuries. I have always consistently focused on the lifting and running aspects of training.”
Fits the Packers
The Packers could lose 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 is not re-signed, Jenkins could move from left back to center and Morgan could be cleared to start at left back.
If that happens, the Packers will need to add an offensive lineman in the offseason, and their priority will likely be versatility.
Last season, Slater started games at left guard and left wing, and even took five snaps at center. The Sacramento State offensive lineman will likely get some reps at center during Senior Bowl week, and teams could look to him as a versatile player to play all five positions.
“I think I’m a great prospect for any team,” Slater said. “My versatility and understanding of many positions in the offensive line is a huge asset. I’m always working to improve and develop all elements of my game. If you entrust me with a task, it will always be completed correctly and successfully. I think overall I’m a very reliable, low-dramatic player who wants to add value to the organization in any way I can.”
The Packers had plenty of success finding quality offensive linemen on day three of the draft. With his athleticism, versatility and football IQ, Slater could be positioned high on Green Bay’s front office when the third day of the draft begins.
