Darius Slayton makes his feeling known on where he stands in Giants pecking order
You don’t make it to or in the NFL with a lack of confidence. That works out for Giant WR Darius Slayton as he is convinced of his talent level, regardless of his four statistics over his four seasons with New York.
Slayton shared his true thoughts in an article with Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post. He said that people’s perception of him doesn’t impact him because, in the end, they don’t know the work that he puts in. That work gives him the utmost believe in himself, no matter who else the franchise elects to bring in.
“I wouldn’t say it bothers me because everybody doesn’t know what I know, Slayton said. “Everybody is not in the Giants’ building. At the end of the day, you can only judge based on what you see from afar.”
“I believe in myself, I believe in my ability. I believe in the work I put in the offseason,” said Slayton. “Whether we add 10 guys, whether we add all of you guys? I believe I’ll find my way on the field.”
New York’s other weapons are the main reason why Slayton says he hasn’t yet broken out as a top receiver in the league. It’s not an issue as long as the Giants keep winning but, as far as statistics go, he says he knows he won’t ever have what he thinks he should or what other players put up considering the teammates that he plays with.
“You see this guy go for 1,010 (yards). Or you see a guy go for 100 yards every week, and you go, ‘He’s really good’. Some of these guys play with nobody,” said Slayton. “I play with Saquon (Barkley). Where do you think the ball is going first? Not me. We had (Shepard), Evan Engram, and now Darren (Waller).”
“I didn’t play with just a bunch of bums. That’s a little annoying. Because at the end of the day? It’s not like I’ve ever been the only person or one person to get the ball, whereas somebody (else) is,” Slayton admitted. “It is what it is. At the end of the day, I just play to win. As long as the Giants win, I’ll be all right.”
The Giants drafted Slayton in the fifth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Auburn. Over his near half decade in New York, he has posted 170 catches for just over 2,550 yards and 15 touchdowns. That averages out to 42.5 catches, on 77.3 targets, for 565.5 receiving yards and almost four touchdowns per season.
Still, while he has been a leading pass-catcher at times for New York, the Giant offense has shared the sugar with more than just Slayton. He has only been outside the top-five of any top receiving category once in his four seasons. Even as New York’s leading receiver in ’22, though, he barely cracked the Top-50 in receiving yards and or the Top-100 in receptions when it comes to the NFL’s receiving leaders.
Slayton may still have the makings of a more legitimate WR1 as a pro. Even so, he’s willing to keep making the sacrifice as part of the Giant offense if New York continues to win, especially after they returned to the playoffs this past season.