One of the pleasant surprises during New York Giants’ 2019 season was rookie wide receiver Darius Slayton.
The Giants selected Slayton in the fifth round out of Auburn in last years draft and if his rookie season is any indication of his talent level, the Giants may have found late round gem in Slayton.
Slayton credit his fellow wide receiver for helping him flourish early.
“Being around supportive veteran receivers like Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, Bennie Fowler — all guys that as soon as I got in there, they tried to help me grow my game,” Slayton said during an appearance on Sirius XM Radio.
The veteran’s on the team all helped Slayton when he joined the team last year, but it was Tate that he learned the most from.
“He plays the game with such great awareness and savvy,” Slayton said. “I’m not there by any stretch of the imagination but hopefully after a few more years of playing with him, I’ll be able to get to that point.”
In his rookie year, Slayton hauled in 48 receptions for 740 yards and eight touchdowns. Whether it was Daniel Jones or Eli Manning, Slayton emerged as a reliable receiver for the Giants and hopes to continue to improve on his rookie year.
Slayton described Eli Manning as a “walking book.”
“You can ask him anything,” Slayton said. “Really humble guy. So any questions I had, he would always talk to me and answer my questions and helped simplify the playbook.”
Slayton and the young Giants offense will now be working with a brand-new coaching staff in 2020. Slayton talked about new head coach Joe Judge’s approach.
“He always asks deep, insightful questions. He is really intelligent and has a business-like approach,” Slayton said.
With Big Blue preparing for the 2020 season virtually, some of the players are thriving and making the most of the at vital meetings and training at home. Although Slayton did admit he is itching to get back on the field.
“You never miss something until it’s gone. Now, we’re all itching to get back on the field and compete, and get back to playing real football,” Slayton said.
Slayton is certainly a player to watch in 2020 as he enters his sophomore season. If he continues to improve, he could be a piece the Giants choose to build around in the years to come.
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