2021 NFL Draft: Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson lead trade-filled mock draft
2021 NFL Draft 1st round, 9th pick
player. 13. OL. Northwestern. Rashawn Slater. 9. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
The Los Angeles Chargers struck gold in the 2020 NFL Draft with Justin Herbert.
Herbert was the QB3 off the board and it just so happens the 2020 class had no fewer than three QB1 types. Herbert’s decision to go back to Oregon didn’t come back to bite him, and the Chargers are reaping the benefits of it since Joe Burrow emerged as the overall top player in the class in his final season at LSU.
The Chargers’ focus going forward needs to be supporting Herbert, and that means — first and foremost — upgrading the offensive line.
Three key interior linemen (Mike Pouncey, Forrest Lamp, Dan Feeney) are all free agents for the Chargers in 2021. The tackle positions don’t feel overly settled at this point.
Rashawn Slater is a player who could step in and start for the Chargers really anywhere they would ask him to on the offensive line.
Is he worth a top 10 pick even after opting out of the 2020 season for Northwestern?
That will be for the Chargers to decide, but it’s worth noting that NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah had him as the overall best offensive lineman in the class in his initial rankings, even ahead of Oregon’s Penei Sewell.
NFL teams obviously like Slater’s game a lot and the fact that he has starting experience at both tackle positions is a huge plus going forward, not to mention his tremendous performance against Chase Young and Ohio State last season.