Mel Kiper Jr. labels Florida’s Jake Slaughter his favorite center in 2026 NFL Draft
By David Wasson
Published:
The 2026 NFL Draft is coming up this week, with hundreds of college football players seeing their lives changed the moment their name is called at the podium.
Among the draft hopefuls is former Florida center Jake Slaughter, who was a Rimington Trophy finalist in 2025, along with earning All-SEC first team and second-team All-American honors while starting all 12 games for the Gators.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. is so high on Slaughter that he lists the former Gator as his favorite center in the class in his pre-draft breakdown of players who will outperform their draft spots.
Here is what Kiper said about Slaughter:
I like everything about Slaughter’s game. 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. 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.”
The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft begins Thursday (8 pm ET, ESPN/ABC) in Pittsburgh and runs through Saturday.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
