New York Giants Training Camp Player Preview: WR Darius Slayton
Besides quarterback Daniel Jones, perhaps no other member from the New York Giants draft class of 2019 is as big of a mystery than receiver Darius Slayton.
Slayton, the team's fifth-round draft pick in that class, burst onto the scene with an impressive rookie season in which he recorded 48 receptions for 740 yards and a team-leading eight touchdowns.
Looking very much at home as Jones's top receiving option--they benefited from some extra work they had done together dating back to the rookie camp--there was even talk that in Slayton, the Giants had found their new No. 1 receiver.
Such talk vanished, however, in Year 2 of Slayton's career when he began playing more like his draft pedigree. He saw his production dip to 751 yards on 50 receptions and three touchdowns, his catch percentage falling from 60 percent as a rookie to 53.2 percent in Year 2.
In the year after that, his production fell even further, with Slayton logging 339 yards on 26 and two touchdowns and his catch percentage dropping to an ugly looking 47.3 percent.
What happened? Injuries certainly played a big part in Slayton's decline, no question. He battled through injuries in Years 2 and 3 and even missed four games last season with a leg injury.
But perhaps more alarming is that Slayton seemed to regress from being the picture of confidence to one of insecurity, no doubt a combination of the injuries and the frustrations of trying to play in an antiquated offense that didn't have enough talent.
So here we are, in Year 4 of Slayton's tenure, the final year of his rookie contract, and a lot has changed. The Giants have added talent expected to slot in ahead of him, like Kenny Golladay, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Kadarius Toney. At best, that would mean that Slayton, who doesn't play special teams and who, thanks to performance escalators, now has a $2.5 million cap hit, is hovering on the bubble this summer.
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