Mel Kiper Jr. explains why Jake Slaughter is his NFL draft favorite

The NFL draft kicks off on Thursday and the sports media is in a frenzy preparing for the 2026 edition of the amateur-to-pro selection process.

Just days before the festivities are scheduled to start, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. listed his favorite prospects by position. His preferred players in the class are not necessarily the best ones, but are "tough, hard-nosed prospects who play football the right way" while "coaches rave about their love of the game, high football IQ and work ethic."

Kiper Jr.'s list included Florida Gators center Jake Slaughter, who has been among the top performers at his position for a few years now.

"I like everything about Slaughter's game," he begins. "He has a lot of experience — 33 starts and over 2,000 snaps at the pivot — and comes battle-tested, having played in the SEC. And he has allowed only six pressures and three sacks over all that time.

"At 6-foot-5 and 303 pounds, Slaughter can drive defenders out of the way to open rushing lanes, and he shows good lateral agility and footwork," Kiper Jr. continues. "I really love his awareness on stunts. Overall, Slaughter is just a really good, consistent football player, and I'd expect him to go in Round 4."

Pro Football Focus gave the former Florida center an 78.9 overall offensive grade last season, which was the fifth-best among FBS centers. His 78.3 run-blocking grade also represented the fifth-best mark, while his 87.1 pass-blocking rating was the eighth-highest.

Slaughter had been a presence on Florida's offensive line since 2021, spanning two head coaching tenures — mostly on Billy Napier's watch. He debuted that season under Dan Mullen against the Samford Bulldogs on Nov. 13 before redshirting, and after that, the rest was history.

He appeared in every single Gator game from 2022 on and started all of them since 2024, with eight starts in 2023. Slaughter graduated last spring with a degree in Agricultural Education and Communication.