Rashawn Slater thinks he's "the best tackle in the draft"

[Sir Purr]

CHARLOTTE – Northwestern tackle Rashawn Slater's arms were long enough to keep NFL defensive rookie of the year Chase Young from touching his quarterback.


So Slater is a little mystified, and perhaps a little bothered, that it keeps coming up.


Slater is a solid Top-10 prospect for the 2021 NFL Draft anyway, and he doesn't see the fact his arms measure 33 inches (in an ideal world, tackles would have 35-inch arms) as a big deal.


"It's definitely tiring," Slater said after Northwestern's pro day workout Tuesday. "When you put so much work in, put all that film out of you playing tackle, for people to question you based off of a measurable.


"But honestly, as far as the teams I've talked to, they've been pretty honest with me about saying it's not a huge concern for them."


Nor should it be based on tape, and Slater has plenty of measurables in his favor as well.


He checked in at 6-4 1/4 and 304 pounds Tuesday, and ran his 40-yard dashes in 4.88 and 4.94 seconds. He also pushed out 33 repetitions of the 225-pound bench press, making him a unique combination of size and strength.


Still, some people are hung up on numbers and thresholds for certain positions, so there have been questions about whether Slater would be better off at guard in the NFL.


"I think I'm the best tackle in the draft," he replied matter-of-factly. "So I have a really high level of confidence in that.


"At the same time, I'm a team player, so if a team wants to play me at guard, so be it, I'm all for it, as long as that's what's best for the team, I'm happy to play whatever position they need me at."