[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx61yex5whq8aq player_id=none image=https://giantswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Since the New York Giants selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, wide receiver Darius Slayton has done as about as much as can be asked of a player. He’s led the team in receiving yards both years and has built a solid rapport with the team’s prospective franchise quarterback, Daniel Jones.
Thus far in training camp this summer, Slayton has been quiet, taking a back seat to rejuvenated veterans Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram and pushed to the back burner by newcomers Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney and John Ross.
[lawrence-related id=672547,672539,672541]
That doesn’t mean Slayton’s importance in the Giants’ offense has faded, it just means he’s settled in and concentrated on the bigger picture.
“I think probably the biggest thing with the offense is just the fact that all of us are coming back and having a second year with the same system and not trying to come in and learn everything, as well as plays,” Slayton told reporters on Wednesday. “So I think just having familiarity with the guys that were here last year and kind of having a leg up coming into camp, going into the season will just help in itself a lot because obviously things in football happen fast. You’ve got to communicate fast, so the less thinking you’re doing, the better off you are.”
So, what has Slayton been working on specifically to advance his place in the offense?
“I definitely feel like I got better in this offseason. I feel like one of my big focuses this offseason was my footwork, being clean in and out of breaks. I definitely think my breaks have improved and just all around playing the game, playing fast,” Slayton said. “I like to say playing fast, but not in a hurry, so you know playing a million miles an hour, but at the same time it’s like your mind is moving in slow motion. You let the game come to you, take what they give you. I feel like that’s another area that I’ve just grown in.”
And his relationship with Jones? Is it still strong in Year 3?
“I think some of it is just kind of natural. Everybody thinks differently. I think in some regards of the game we just naturally kind of think of certain situations similarly and to go along with that, just communication. Obviously, we practice a whole lot, so for as many times in the game as it looks perfect, there’s plenty of times in practice where it doesn’t. It’s just a matter of getting on the same page, seeing what he likes and just wanting to get on the same page,” Slayton said.
With all of the new additions to the offense and the impending return of Saquon Barkley, one might think that Slayton is going get lost in the shuffle. But sometimes the opposite happens. Defenses will likely shift their coverages toward Kenny Golladay and the others and leave Slayton to be covered by lesser players, or even not at all. He could be poised for a big season.
[vertical-gallery id=672142]