With the 55th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers select center Jake Slaughter out of the University of Florida.
Slaughter is a 6’5, 303-pound interior blocker who was named a two-time All-American for the Gators. In 2024, Slaughter was named a First-Team member after starting all 13 games. This past season, Slaughter was named to the second team after 12 more starts on top of being named a First-Team All-SEC honoree. In all, Slaughter started
33 games for the Gators after winning the job in 2023.
At the NFL Combine, Slaughter ran a 5.10 in the 40-yard dash with a 32.5-inch vertical and a 9’2” in the broad jump.
With Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon still on the board, the Chargers chose to take Slaughter who played only center at Florida. After they signed Tyler Biadasz in March, this points to Slaughter moving to guard as they would not have used a second-round pick on a backup pivot. Slaughter has high football IQ and adequate athleticism to succeed in Mike McDaniel’s wide zone system that needs blockers who can turn and run and get out into space to wall off defenders.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein says Slaughter will struggle in pass protection against strength and bull rushers, but he makes up for his shortcomings with a high level of awareness, football IQ, and leadership ability.
