The 2019 NFL Draft will go down as a great wide receiver draft. One of the hidden gems that isn’t being talked about enough is Darius Slayton. The former Auburn wide receiver became a real weapon for the Giants and really broke out when given a chance to shine with the Giants. The question now is was Slayton’s rookie year for real and can he continue to grow moving forward?
I think the biggest thing to note is Auburn’s offense is not the easiest to evaluate. It’s the furthest thing from a Pro style system and they have suffered from horrendous quarterback play. Both Jarrett Stidham and Bo Nix were terrible. Maybe a guy like Slayton always had the talent but never got a chance to shine at Auburn. That’s very possible.
Slayton wasn’t just good as a rookie, he was down right filthy down the stretch. Slayton had two separate games last year where he went over 120 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the year with 48 receptions for 740 yards and 8 touchdowns. Slayton also did not play in any games until Week 3.
My question is was this real. Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard both suffered injuries a year ago. Add in the fact that the Giants were constantly trailing a year ago. How much of Slayton’s production came in garbage time and how much of it was due to the fact that this guy is actually talented?
Slayton showed flashes as a 5th round pick which is pretty much all you’re looking for as a late round draft pick. 2020 will be a big year for Slayton and we’re going to find out if his rookie year was a flash in a pan or just the start of something more.
