Arizona State’s Slater Zellers is the best long-snapper in the 2024 NFL Draft. Zellers has been on the NFL’s radar since his playing days at California before he transferred to Arizona State and strung together another efficient campaign. Zellers will be a starting long-snapper in the league next season.
Zellers recently spoke exclusively with The Draft Network about transferring from California to Arizona State, his pre-draft training routine in Scottsdale, Arizona, which teams have expressed interest in his services throughout the pre-draft process, and more.
JM: Now that you've had time to reflect, how do you look back on the decision to transfer from California to Arizona State?
Slater Zellers: It was definitely a tough decision. Having played five years at California, it wasn’t easy to leave. I knew in the back of my mind that I was only going to play one more year of college ball. I just didn’t know where that would be once I entered the portal.
Coming back home to Arizona State, the former special teams coordinator Charlie Ragle who initially recruited me to Cal actually was at Arizona State. He decided to recruit me out of the portal to reunite with him at Arizona State.
I ultimately don’t regret the decision. I had a great time at Arizona State. I got to experience two fantastic Power Five programs in the Pac 12. I also graduated with a master’s degree at Arizona State. I finished that up in December. Overall, I really enjoyed my time at both programs. I’m very thankful to both schools for giving me the opportunity.
JM: Congratulations on getting your master's. That’s awesome. You've been working out and long-snapping multiple days a week with a group of specialists in Phoenix, Arizona. What's the pre-draft training process been like for you?
Slater Zellers: I’ve been working with coach Ben Bernard with Arizona Elite Long Snapping. He’s been my snapping coach locally here in Arizona ever since I started snapping. I’ve been training with him ever since. Of course, that wasn’t the case while I was at Cal, but we’d meet up and work anytime I came back home for a weekend or whatever.
We’re training four days a week, Monday through Thursday. He’s probably working with 30 different guys right now at all levels. From high school to college guys, we’re also working with NFL free agents and UFL players.
All of the credit goes to coach Bernard. He’s been tremendous for my development.
JM: That’s outstanding stuff. Have you met with any other teams throughout this process, whether in person or virtually?
Slater Zellers: I’ve met with a handful of teams. I had a private workout with the Baltimore Ravens. I made a few local hometown visits with the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. A handful of other teams have expressed interest as well.
It’s been quite the pre-draft process. I’ve heard about friends going through it, I’ve seen them go through it, but it’s a totally new experience when you’re going through it yourself. I’m just thankful that I’m going through it. I look forward to telling my kids about it someday.
JM: There’s a lot of interest in you and it’s easy to see why. We've appreciated your time. What kind of impact is Slater Zellers going to make at the next level?
Slater Zellers: I just want to do my job at a high level. I’m going to be a good teammate and a good locker-room guy. There are guys like Kyle Nelson [NFL long-snapper] who I know personally and I’ve seen his life as an NFL snapper.
He’s really enjoyed his time in the league and he’s extremely thankful for the opportunity. I’m hopefully looking forward to a similar experience. I hope to make an impact wherever I end up. I hope to play in this league for a long time.
