Why Slater Also Could Be Slated for Number 6
One of the neverending national mock draft was the one unveiled this week by Good Morning Football host Peter Schrager, which was notable for the backlash he received from Miami Dolphins fans.
The response was so intense, in fact, that GMFB posted some of the Twitter replies on the show Friday morning.
The uproar came after Schrager mocked offensive tackle Rashawn Slater to the Dolphins at number 6.
That pick came after Schrager had four QBs go in the first four picks and he projected the Cincinnati Bengals to select LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
That means that Schrager gave Slater to the Dolphins instead of more popular mock draft picks Kyle Pitts from Florida or Penei Sewell from Oregon.
It says here that with Schrager's first five picks, the choice for the Dolphins clearly should be Pitts because of the immense impact he could have for the passing game, but going with Slater simply isn't that far-fetched.
First, we'll start with Slater's ranking among top prospects or even tackles. While, yes, most analysts have Sewell pegged as the top offensive line prospect in the draft, not everybody agrees.
One of those in Slater's camp is NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, whose previous experience working for the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles makes him one of the most trusted voices when it comes to draft analysis.
"Look, I have Slater over Sewell," Jeremiah said during a recent conference call. "I think he's more consistent. I think I know exactly where he is, but you mentioned that Sewell has got more upside. He's just bigger. He's a more powerful guy. In terms of his upside, I think he's got a chance to be a really, really good player. I've been spoiled. I've been around Jonathan Ogden, I've been around Joe Thomas, I've been around Jason Peters. I don't put him in that group. I don't think he has a chance to get to that level, even though he's a really young kid. But I think he's got a chance to growing into being ... both these guys got a chance to be perennial Pro Bowl players, and Slater might end up having to kick inside. That's a great debate to have inside the building.
"I just know when I put my list together and you kind of put the positives and the negatives down. With Slater there's not much negative to put down the paper. I just don't see anything that really concerns me. I think he's just going to be a really, really good player."
So if the Dolphins agree with Jeremiah that Slater is the best NFL prospect, it comes down to what position they would prefer addressing under Schrager's 1-5 scenario.
We discussed in an earlier story the issue of taking a wide receiver at 6 and how it's difficult to argue that it's a better value pick than taking an offensive tackle. That obviously changes if we're talking about a guard, unless you're talking about a dominant player like Quentin Nelson, who went sixth overall in 2018.
Again, from this end, Pitts has to be the choice if he's available at 6. But if he isn't, then Slater — just like Sewell — absolutely would merit consideration.
