The Tennessee Titans have done a good job this offseason at addressing one of their biggest deficiencies from 2024: the offensive line.
The signings of Dan Moore, Kevin Zeitler, and Blake Hance have given the unit a complete facelift and should be a more competent and cohesive unit in 2025. Although the free agency haul was strong, Tennessee still needed to add some young depth to the roster and they started that process in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft.
The Titans waited until pick 167 to take an offensive lineman and landed an experienced and athletic Sacramento State guard Jackson Slater. While he was announced as a guard during the NFL draft, his positional flexibility should help him land a spot on the roster for the Titans, who lack overall depth along the offensive line.
Slater may not be a household name, but he enters the league with starting potential at both guard and center. The 6-foot-4, 311-pound started 44 games in his college career and was named a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection three times.
More athletic than mauler, his technical acumen for the interior jumps off the screen when watching him play. He will need to add some bulk to help him anchor against larger defenders, but his natural abilities and football instincts are among the best in this class. He did suffer a knee injury in November 2024, so his medicals are a concern, but when healthy he could develop into a long-term solution along the interior.
Heading into training camp, Tennessee appears to be set with Peter Skoronski and Zeitler at guard and veteran Lloyd Cushenberry at center, which should allow Slater time to fully recover and refine some of his skills.