This Giants Receiver Named Most Underrated by Bleacher Report

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton has come a long way.

Slayton, a fifth-round draft pick in 2019 who went on to lead the Giants that season in touchdown receptions with eight only to see his performance fall off the next two years, was believed to be on the brink of having his Giants tenure snuffed out last year had he not accepted a pay cut.

Even after doing so, Slayton still wasn't good enough to earn a game-day uniform for the team's Week 1 contest against the Tennessee Titans, a move that suggested that the former Auburn wideout was so far down on the depth chart that he might never see the field.

But Slayton didn't give up and never stopped working. As the performances of his fellow receivers deteriorated either due to injury or fit, Slayton suddenly found his number called, and he brought his best to the table, leading his team in receiving yards (724) on 46 receptions with two touchdowns.

His 2023 performance has resulted in Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox ranking Slayton as the No. 1 most underrated receiver in the NFL ahead of the 2023 season, with Knox opining that the best is still yet to come for the 26-year-old Slayton, who inked a new two-year deal with the Giants this past of-season.

Outside of fantasy, Slayton also remains underrated, and the offseason additions of Darren Waller and rookie Jalen Hyatt will likely keep him overlooked in New York. Even in an inconsistent Giants passing attack, though, he has topped 700 yards in three of his four seasons and has provided a passer rating above 96.0 in two of them.

What's impressive about Slayton is his efficiency. This past season, he ranked fourth in the NFL in yards per target (10.2), behind only A.J. Brown, Jaylen Waddle, and Dallas Goedert—and one spot ahead of Tyreek Hill.

Slayton also possesses a ton of upside, with good size (6'1", 190 lbs) and 4.39 speed. The key to unlocking that potential will be allowing Jones to stretch the field, which could be in the cards this season.

When healthy, Slayton has been a mostly solid contributor. However, a big issue with his game has been dropped balls--23 over his career, eight of which came last year in the regular season and postseason.

Slayton had an ugly drop against the Vikings in the NFC Wild Card game, a drop so bad that head coach Brian Daboll and team captain Saquon Barkley immediately came over to console Slayton.

Love this from #Giants coach Brian Daboll ❤️❤️

After @Young_Slay2 dropped the big 3rd down pass that might've cost NYG the game, Brian Daboll came over to let him know how he important he is to the team.

Team captain @saquon did the same 👏 pic.twitter.com/qE4nAX79LT
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 19, 2023

If he's healthy, Slayton figures to open the 2023 season as one of the top three receivers on the Giants' depth chart. That Slayton came into the league at the same time as quarterback Daniel Jones, getting a jumpstart on building chemistry with the quarterback works in his favor because their chemistry and non-verbal communication is so strong.

Slayton's work ethic has impressed the coaching staff, as this candid moment between him and Daboll from the team's mandatory minicamp last month spring shows.

Slayton has appeared in 59 career games with 40 starts for the Giants. He's caught 170 of 309 pass targets for 2,554 yards and 15 touchdowns in regular-season play. He's also appeared in two postseason games, both starts, catching five of 13 pass targets for 92 yards, both of those games coming last year.

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