How a trip to the barber led 49ers’ Laken Tomlinson on a career change path

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The transformative moment of Laken Tomlinson’s career in the NFL did not come in a game, a practice, the coach’s office or a locker room.

Instead, the 49ers left guard says the seeds of his transition from an alleged draft bust to a flourishing first-round have been planted in an unexpected location: Creations Salon & Barbershop in Irvine.

In the spring of 2017, Tomlinson, then 25, who had just completed a season in which he had been on the Lions bench, casually mentioned to his barber that he was looking for a private trainer to improve his offseason training. in Orange County. Her hairdresser did not hesitate. He knew the perfect guy. A regular at the hairdressing salon. Used to play in the NFL. Lived just down the road. Tomlinson, who grew up in Jamaica and was unfamiliar with NFL history, was intrigued by the chance to work with this guy, Jackie Slater.

“I looked for it that night and did my research,” Tomlinson said. “I was like, ‘My god.'”

Call it an answer to prayer. Tomlinson, 29, will return to Detroit on Sunday and play at Ford Field for the first time since Jan. 1, 2017, when he was eight months away from being dumped from the Lions to the 49ers for a fifth-round pick. After two grueling seasons in Detroit, Tomlinson, the No.28 pick in the 2015 draft, has since signed a three-year $ 16.5 million extension and fulfilled his vast potential while making 63 straight starts with the 49ers.

How did he get from there to here? It all started when he joined Slater, 67, a Hall of Fame right tackle who played 20 seasons with the Rams and has since trained many of the NFL’s top offensive linemen.

“I think meeting him and training with him for the first time has definitely put me on the path to my career,” said Tomlinson. “Looking at where I am now versus where I was, I wasn’t half the player I am today. It all starts with the foundation. And Jackie provided me with a solid foundation to work on my game. I liked it so much that I literally begged him to let me come back.

Jackie Slater, left, and Laken Tomlinson

Jackie Slater, left, and Laken Tomlinson

Courtesy of Jackie Slater

He didn’t need to beg. Slater welcomed him the following year. And the next one. In fact, Tomlinson, who spends most of his offseason at his home in Detroit, and Slater have become friends who have spent at least a week together every offseason since 2017. They train twice a day at an outdoor park. ‘Orange and also spend time discussing the minutiae of online gambling.

“Of all the guys I’ve coached, this is one of the most rewarding stories I’ve ever experienced,” Slater said. “I know no matter who worked with him, they just didn’t know what they were doing. There is no other solution. They didn’t know what they had.

Slater, who interviews players before coaching them, knew he had someone he wanted to work with moments after he first met Tomlinson at a Starbucks in 2017. He was struck by the seriousness and intelligence of Tomlinson. Tomlinson was a pre-med double major (psychology, evolutionary anthropology) at Duke, where he was a four-time All-Academic ACC selection.

And there was his physique: Tomlinson, 6-3, 315 pounds, is among the 49ers’ strongest players and can squat over 600 pounds.

The good Lord said, ‘Let there be an offensive guard,’ Slater said. ‘It’s that simple. In my opinion, right now there is no better physical prototype for the offensive guard post in the National Football League than Laken Tomlinson. He is tall. He is strong. He’s thick. He has reach in his arms. He has power in his legs. He has power in his upper body that he can put on people just at the right time to create an advantage. And he’s really smart, on top of all that.

Slater, a self-proclaimed football junkie, has coached at almost every level since his retirement. After spending a season with the Raiders (2006), he coached at community college (Saddleback) and high school (El Modena in Orange) before becoming the offensive line coach at Azusa Pacific University from 2011 to 2018. .

He’s also formed a lineman squad that includes Washington rookie tackle Sam Cosmi, a second-round pick, and Leonard Davis, his first student, who was the No.2 pick in 2001. Slater’s current roster includes Pro Bowl goalie Trai Turner (Steelers), All-Pro goalie Andrew Norwell (Jaguars) and the Panthers take on Taylor Moton, who signed a four-year, $ 72 million contract in March.

Tomlinson is not his most decorated student, but he is perhaps the most demanding. Slater, who is passionate about offensive line theory, leverage, and technique, quickly discovered that the Duke graduate was thorough and curious.



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