Northwestern lineman likes what he sees with Niners
San Francisco appears to be interested in the Northwestern lineman
Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater considers himself the best offensive tackle in next month’s NFL draft, and he’s done more than just talk about it with the 49ers.
Slater has patterned his game after their past two left tackles, Joe Staley and Trent Williams, the latter of whom arrived last season upon Staley’s retirement.
“Joe’s a guy who’s kind of like me, not the prototypical size of left tackle but extremely effective, and the way he played, he was a master technician,” Slater said Tuesday on a video call with reporters from Northwestern’s pro day. “Trent is a freak athlete and does awesome stuff with his hands.”
If Williams escapes in free agency next week, the 49ers may not find a ready-made Pro Bowl to succeed him. Two offensive tackles, Taylor Moton (Carolina Panthers) and Cam Robinson (Jacksonville Jaguars), drew their teams’ franchise tag Tuesday.
If that free agent market looks slim, Slater might be ideal for general manager John Lynch to take with the 49ers’ top draft pick, assuming Slater lasts until their No. 12 overall pick or they trade up for him.
“I’d love to be in that kind of scheme,” Slater said. “It seems like an awesome organization the way they run things. That’s a positive, for sure.”
The 49ers are three years removed from using their top draft pick on offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey, who’s since been entrenched as their right tackle.
Williams should command a topof-the-market contract over $20 million annually. His revised contract last year prevented the 49ers from applying the franchise tag on him before Tuesday’s 1 p.m. deadline; they did not use it on any other free agent, either.
The 49ers’ in-house options to replace Williams could be moving McGlinchey to the left side or inserting Justin Skule, Shon Coleman, Colton McKivitz or even Daniel Brunskill, who’s likely more cut out for center or guard.
Or the 49ers can turn to the draft, where Slater and Oregon’s Penei Sewell are the consensus top linemen.
“I have Slater as the top tackle in this draft,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said on a Tuesday video conference. “His arms came in at 33 inches (long). It’s not great but it’s good enough where he can hold up at tackle, and he’s such a clean, clean player on tape. His ability to recover and work his hands and bend, he’s one of the better guys.”
Slater’s measurements (6-foot4, 304 pounds, 4.88-second 40-yard dash) are similar to Staley’s back in 2007 (6-5, 306 pounds, 4.78-second 40). Slater, who opted out of the 2020 season, has been training in Dallas; Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith is another pro he admires.
“I think I’m the best tackle in the draft, so I have a really high level of confidence about that. But I’m a team player,” Slater said. “If someone wants to play me at guard, I’m all for it as long as it’s best for the team.”
Slater is not the only Northwestern player who should go in the draft’s first round. Cornerback Greg Newsome could appeal to the 49ers, and he’s studied up on Richard Sherman, a likely outgoing free agent.
“He uses his smarts out there on the field and that’s something I do,” Newsome said Tuesday on his pro-day video call.
“He’s a great zone player and able to jump routes,” Newsome added. “I can tell he’s a huge film guy by the way he reads defenses. He wasn’t the fastest guy at the combine so I knew there’s something that makes him obviously one of the top cornerbacks in the league, and the majority of that is his savvy and how much he knows the game of football.”