Packers Might Have Big Steal With Slaton
GREEN BAY, Wis. – As the late Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson liked to say about athletic big guys, the good Lord didn’t make too many people like TJ Slaton.
“Yeah, 6-4, 330, 18 percent body fat. He’s a man and he’s got a lot of tools,” Green Bay Packers defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said on Sunday of the rookie fifth-round draft pick.
Other than starting center Josh Myers, there might not be a rookie on the roster who will make more of a sudden impact than Slaton. Montgomery has voiced little more than guarded optimism but it’s hard to imagine Slaton not having earned an immediate role. He had one sack and four tackles on Saturday against the Jets to continue his strong August.
“From Week 1 to Week 2 from a preseason standpoint, I think he’s taken some huge strides,” Montgomery said. “Not where we need him yet but he’s making some really good progress. Pleased with what he’s done so far but more consistency, and we’re headed in the right direction.”
Even in a weak draft class for interior defensive linemen, Slaton was a relative afterthought following a final season at Florida in which he started 12 times but had only 3.5 tackles for losses. It wasn’t until the Gators’ pro day on March 31, when Slaton tipped the scales at 330 pounds but ran his 40 in 5.09 seconds, that the scouting community took notice.
What happened?
“That’s a good question,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on Friday. “I think like a lot of players coming out of college, there can be inconsistencies in their play and that can cause them to fall at times. And I know that where we had him valued was much higher than that. A 325-pound man that can do what he does, there’s just not many of them out there. At the same time, there were some parts of his game that needed to be developed. But that’s part of what we do here, as well, and I think he’s done a really nice job in a short period of time here doing what Coach Montgomery wants him to do and learning. Obviously, his production and effort has shown up in these first two games.”
Pro Football Focus has a stat called run stops. Essentially, it measures impact tackles. A first-and-10 tackle that limits the play to 3 yards or less is a run stop. A tackle that limits the play to 4 yards is not a stop. Slaton ranks second among all interior defenders with five run stops. More than just a beefy run stopper, of the 104 interior defenders with at least 20 pass rushes, Slaton ranks 21st in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. That’s quality work considering most of his reps have come against starting linemen.
“That was the expectation when I first got here,” Slaton said after the game. “They knew what I could do. I knew what I could do. It’s just more playing with more effort, giving more time to the things you’re doing, more studying. It’s more studying, more things you’ve got to do. It’s not like you’re in college anymore, when you have an excuse because you have school. Now, it’s all football. If you want to be the best and you want to prove you can play, you’ve got to put the time in.”
The Packers’ defensive line has needed a lift for years. Kenny Clark is the centerpiece, Dean Lowry is ol’ reliable, Kingsley Keke is an ascending talent and Tyler Lancaster has maximized his talents. Improvement from a defense that ranked 13th in points allowed last season hinges on a few things – the presence of new coordinator Joe Barry, the addition of veteran linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, the rebound of Preston Smith and the impact of first-round cornerback Eric Stokes. Throw Slaton into the mix, too.
“TJ’s a really talented player,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “He’s a young player, he’s got a lot to learn. I think it’s just going to come down to how consistent can he be? When he plays with great technique and fundamentals, he’s pretty darn good. The talent’s there, but it’s got to be down in and down out, and it’s got to happen every day in practice. I know that’s part of the learning curve, but how fast can you consistently perform and do your job and execute with the proper technique is going to determine how much he plays for us this year.”
