I liked Slaton leading up to the draft. I thought the Packers would be looking for a disruptor but Im very happy they took a space eater. Hopefully he can be as good as color commentators would make him sound during boradcasts. Anytime he was in there they would start talking about him.
I think this is shaping up to be my favorite pick we made, feels like he was slept on because of his position switch and lack of development while we are buying low on Round 1 talent/potential.
There's no reason a man of his size can't get more stout in the run, and if he also has the athleticism to be a factor in the pass rush, then you put that next to Kenny Clark... whew lordy.
Ran the 40 in 5.09. Vertical jump of 29, broad jump of 9-1 and 27 reps on the bench. Arms were 32⅝, hands were a tiny 9⅛. Short shuttle of 4.84, 3-cone of 7.91.
Helped American Heritage High, which was coached by Patrick Surtain Sr., to state titles in 2014 and ’16 primarily as a right tackle. Four-star recruit. Moved to defensive line in Gainesville. Weighed about 380 pounds at one point during his collegiate career.
Played 33 games (two starts) mainly as a backup from 2017 through ’19 before starting 12 games in ’20. Was suspended for the opener in 2019 for a violation of team rules. Finished with 98 tackles (10 for loss) and 3½ sacks.
What NFL personnel men told me about Slaton before the draft:
AFC scout: “I like him. Fourth or fifth round. He’s massive and controls things. He doesn’t rush the passer, though. He was a backup first part of the year. They started him the last couple games and he was their best interior lineman. He certainly is draftable. He’s really square and strong.”
AFC scout: “It’s a toss-up between him and (Tyler) Shelvin as the best nose tackle. Massive, but ran under 5.1 (in the 40). You don’t see the pass rush yet, but as far as pushing the pocket on first and second down, yeah.”
NFC scout: “A shot in the dark. Fifth round. He’s tough enough. You got a chance to hit on some upside.”
NFC scout: “At least talent-wise, he’s up there.”
AFC scout: “He’s talented, but not consistent.”
NFC scout: “Was a legit basketball player in high school at 350 pounds. Doesn’t play low, gritty or violent. Questionable alertness, urgency, competitiveness.”
.
It's crazy how many plays he almost makes and fails to finish. Very disruptive, though.
Yeah. You can absolutely see the talent.
Finishing is absolutely important. Hopefully he improves on that. The fortunate thing is if there is one position on defense where not finishing is more forgiving...it is the DT spot.
The scouting director was at the pro day. At 6-foot-4 and 330 pounds, Slaton ran his 40 in 5.09 seconds and posted an impressive Relative Athletic Score of 7.96. The workout had teams taking a second look.
“The dude’s 340 and he moves like he’s 290,” he said. “He’s explosive, he’s disruptive. We had him a little bit low. After the pro day, I was like, ‘Let’s watch this dude again.’ You go back and watch him, you’re like, ‘This dude could play in the league.’
I see all the reasons why teams had him lower. When you watch the full body of work, it’s a lot of inconsistency. He’s got some big-boy tendencies when he gets lazy. But, when he does it right, he can be a pretty disruptive run defender, for sure.”
