In a year without an elite center prospect, Jake Slaughter is quietly in the conversation to be the first center taken in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The redshirt junior is excelling as a 2nd year starter, and has enough physical traits to continue to blossom as a prospect.
While Jake Slaughter has received some attention in NFL Draft circles, most media scouts don’t realize how good of a prospect he really is.
Read on to see BNB Football’s early Jake Slaughter scouting report, including his strengths, weaknesses, production, and measurables.
Prospect: Jake Slaughter
School: Florida
Position: Center
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 310
Class: Redshirt Junior (4th Year)
Jake Slaughter NFL Draft Profile Overview
Florida’s Jake Slaughter, has been one of the most consistent centers in both pass pro & run blocking in 2024.
Allowing only one QB hit and zero sacks through seven games, Slaughter is very technical in his blocking ability, shows good awareness in adjusting protections… pic.twitter.com/TbvdkGcOnw
— Jake Hefner (@JakeTHefner) October 30, 2024
Jake Slaughter was a standout offensive lineman for Trinity Catholic High School, where he was named District Player of the Year, quite an impressive feat for an offensive lineman.
Slaughter lived in the small unincorporated community of Sparr, Florida, just 30 miles south of the University of Florida.
After initially committing to Florida State, Slaughter couldn’t resist a late offer from his local school and flipped his commitment to the Gators prior to enrolling for the 2021 season.
Despite several big time offers, Slaughter wasn’t too highly thought of by recruiting websites Rated as a mid 3-star recruit, Slaughter was the 2nd lowest rated recruit in Florida’s 2021 recruiting class.
Nearly 4 years later, Slaughter is being underrated by websites once again, this time as a draft prospect.
After playing sparingly in his first two seasons, Slaughter took over as the starting center in 2023 due to an injury to starter Kingsley Eguakun.
Slaughter outperformed him in every stage of the game.
Now in 2024, Slaughter is an unquestioned leader on the offense. He got off to an incredible start to the season, and has hardly allowed any pressures so far this season.
The stats and blocking grades match the tape.
Slaughter gets out of his stance fast, shows good knee bend, and functional athleticism. He has very strong hands and an incredible anchor, withstanding bullrushes from big nose tackles while also having the technique to shut down smaller pass rushers.
He does a good job opening holes in the run game, with enough power and hip flexibility to turn defenders.
I wouldn’t expect Slaughter to put up eye popping athletic measurables, but he’s very coordinated and moves well in open space as a puller.
At this point, the biggest area for Slaughter to improve is in recognizing stunts and continuing to move his feet. Pre- and post-snap recognition isn’t expected to be a problem, as he’s very intelligent and a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree.
Stats
Offensive line play is difficult to quantify, but by all accounts Jake Slaughter has had a productive career for the Gators. He hasn’t allowed a single sack in 2024, and has been just as impressive as a run blocker.
| YEAR | GAMES | SNAPS | SACKS | PRESSURES | SUCCESS% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024* | 10 | 605 | 0 | 7 | 97.8% |
| 2023 | 12 | 574 | 2 | 9 | 97.3% |
| 2022 | 13 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| 2021 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
*2024 stats as of November 20, 2024
Success percentage is a measure of how many pass blocking snaps don’t result in a pressure.
Accolades
N/A
Strengths
- Strong anchor
- Quick out of his stance
- Coordinated
- Strong hands and generally good hand technique
- Good frame, big enough to play guard as well
- Very intelligent and a good leader in the community
Weaknesses
- Has only played center in college
- Could do a better job recognizing stunts
- Athleticism won’t jump off the page
- Sometimes stops his feet
Grade
2nd-3rd Round
There’s a chance Jake Slaughter doesn’t enter the 2025 NFL Draft, as he still has 1 year of eligibility remaining, but the redshirt junior would be in line to be one of the top 3 centers in the draft class if he does decide to enter.
Slaughter is a tough interior lineman with the size, athleticism, and skill to become a long time NFL starter. Not to mention his intelligence and work ethic.
The first half of 2024 was better than the second half of 2024 for Slaughter, and if that continues my evaluation could change. But based on the games I’ve watched, I’d be confident drafting him if I’m looking for a day 1 NFL starter.
—
Thank you for reading our Jake Slaughter NFL Draft Scouting Report. If you have anything to add, please leave in below in the comments. Best of luck to Jake in his NFL career.
