Agreed on the short lifespan of top RBs. If Slaton can be productive with getting 10-12 touches a game in the offense, then this was a very useful pick. Now, he could follow the Tiki Barber career path and add sufficient bulk to become an every-down back, but that's a tough trick to pull off.
Frankly, I'm not sure I want an elite, every-down RB. They are too expensive and break down too quickly. Since the end of the Steeler dynasty 30 years ago, only seven teams featuring an in-their-prime superstar RB won Superbowls: 3 by Emmitt Smith, 2 by Terrell Davis and one each by Marshall Faulk (not your typical RB by any stretch, but certainly a star) and Marcus Allen. Jerome Bettis and Walter Payton were far past their primes when they got their rings. Of those 7 wins, only Allen's and Faulk's came without the benefit of a first-ballot Hall of Famer at QB.
If Slaton manages to become a star every-down RB, I say we immediately trade him to a team dumb enough to pay dearly for such a player. Otherwise, if he can fit well into a productive RB ensemble without putting up huge individual numbers, the pick will be an unqualified success in my opinion.