Despite not playing this season due to the pandemic, former Northwestern offensive tackle Rashawn Slater is moving up draft boards.

NFL draft expert Daniel Jeremiah tweeted out his top five offensive line prospects for the 2021 draft, and Slater is at the top of the list.

Seeing Slater about Penei Sewell is a bit of a surprise, as Sewell has long been the consensus No. 1 offensive lineman in this class. If not for the stellar crop of quarterbacks expected to enter the draft, Sewell would have been a contender to be picked No. 1 overall.

Even without Slater, Northwestern has been solid for most of the season. The Wildcats are 5-1 with big wins over Iowa and Wisconsin.

However, they could have used him in their 29-20 defeat against Michigan State on Saturday. Quarterback Peyton Ramsey was sacked four times and hurried six times by the Spartans defense.

The 2021 NFL Draft will be held April 29-May 1, 2021.