Matthew Slater
| New England Patriots | |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| College: | UCLA |
| NFL draft: | 2008 / Round: 5 / Pick: 153 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Unsigned Draft Pick |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Matthew Wilson Slater (born September 9, 1985 in Orange, California) is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA.
He is the son of former NFL offensive tackle and Hall of Famer Jackie Slater.
High school
Matt lettered in football for two seasons for coach Larry Toner at Servite High School in Anaheim, California. He was an All-West selection by Prep Star and a three-star selection by Rivals.com. He was also a two-time All-Serra League selection.
As a senior, he made 39 receptions for 707 yards and five touchdowns. As a junior, he made 23 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Also performed in track finishing tied for second at the CIF State meet in the 100 m (10.67) and fourth in the 200 m (21.39). His 4 x 100 m relay team was CIF champion. Selected 2003 Orange County Register Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year as a senior. He still holds school records in the 100 (10.62) and 200 meters (21.39).
College
Slater attended UCLA and majored in political science. As freshman he redshirted due to a turf toe injury. In 2004, as a second-year freshman, Slater appeared in games against Illinois, Arizona and Stanford. As a sophomore in 2005 he was reserve wide receiver. He missed the first three games due to a stress fracture in his left leg. He played in two games but did not make a reception.
In 2006, as a junior, Slater played 13 games, including two (Washington and Arizona) on defense. He excelled on kick coverage, specializing on big hits on kick returners to help minimize kick return yardage. On the year, he made nine tackles, including six solos.
As a senior, in 2007, Slater played in 13 games, made 25 tackles. He also returned kicks for the Bruins. He returned 34 kicks for a 29.0 yard average and 3 TDs which tied the the lead in the nation and set set the UCLA record. He also tied the Pac-10 season record, set by Anthony Davis in 1974. His 29.0-yard kickoff return average was first in the Pac-10 and 12th best in the country. He was First-team All-Pac 10 selection as the kick returner. His 986 kickoff return yards were also a new UCLA single-season record.
NFL
Slater was drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, who traded up with Tampa Bay before drafting Slater. While at UCLA, Slater played both wide receiver and defensive back but found his true niche on special teams as a kickoff returner. Matt's father, Jackie Slater, was pleased with the selection and told the Boston Herald that he got phone calls from "scouts, administrators in the NFL who knew me and my son, and they said, ‘Jackie, this could not be a better fit for your son to start being a pro football player.'"[1] Slater was one of two players selected in the 2008 Draft (the other being Chris Long), and the sixth in the history of the NFL Draft, who is a son of a Hall of Fame member.