With the NFL Draft right around the corner, Sacramento State offensive lineman Jackson Slater has had some time to reflect on his pre-draft whirlwind.
Looking back, his trip to the Senior Bowl sticks out as the moment he felt a switch flip. When Slater was at Sac State, he always tried to play with inhuman perfection.
However, in Mobile, Alabama, Slater said his mindset changed completely.
“The growth for me was understanding how imperfect football really is at times,” Slater said. “Being able to accept the good and the bad… that’s a huge part of my game I haven’t been able to perfect.”
Slater said that week showed him how football remains the same despite its different levels. He also said the switch in mindset has made it easier to learn, as he’s less focused on his shortcomings.
“You don’t have this stuff going through your mind anymore like ‘Okay, I can’t give up a pressure on this play’ or ‘If I do this, a scout is going to see it and I’m not going to have a shot anymore,’” Slater said. “I got my shot, I’ve proved I belong along the way.”
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Since his pro day, Slater went on two top-30 visits to NFL teams’ facilities, the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. He also went on a local day visit with the Seattle Seahawks, on top of Zoom interviews with around 60% of the teams in the league.
“I didn’t have a ton of them, but I’m glad I didn’t have a bunch of them,” Slater said of his top-30 visits. “The travel and not being able to work out piece would have made me crazy a little bit.”
Slater said each team did their visits differently. His meeting with the Colts was more of a personal interview with their offensive line coach, while the Bears had him meet with the main decision-makers of the organization.
In an interview with TheSFNiners podcast, Slater said that his visit with the Seahawks was a full circle moment for him as he played Little League with the son of current Seahawks General Manager John Schneider.
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Slater said that during his visits, he heard a range of grades on him. They varied from the third to the fifth round, which he said lined up with his expectations of what teams would think of him.
“Coming from a small school, that impacts it,” Slater said. “I wouldn’t say I think too much into it, but I feel like the team that’s going to draft me is the team that feels the best about what I’ve been able to show.”
Slater has repeatedly said he thinks teams evaluate him differently coming from the FCS, and said he thought about transferring at the end of his junior season. Ultimately, he stayed put, citing the feeling of being wanted at Sac State, especially by o-line coach Kris Richardson.
“I wouldn’t say I ever wanted to leave,” Slater said. “Leaving a legacy at a place where I could call home means a lot more than a few hundred thousand (dollars) to go play at a Big 10 school.”
Slater said he feels confident heading into the draft process, but he hopes wherever he lands has a plan to at least develop him, if not to start him. He said he’s also looking for an o-line coach who’s a teacher and veterans he can learn from.
Going into the draft process, Slater made the move from guard, where he played all four years at Sac State, to center. After meeting with teams, Slater said that most teams viewed him as a swing guard and center.
Now, after two weeks of cross-country flights and Zoom interviews, Slater has made it through the pre-draft marathon. All that’s left for him to do is wait.
“In my football career, I’ve gotten really lucky that even if it might not be the best situation starting out, it usually ends up being a good place for me,” Slater said. “I’m ready to accept however it shakes out.”
The NFL Draft’s first round kicks off Thursday at 5 p.m. PST, with the second and third on Saturday and the remaining seven on Sunday.
