Darius Slayton

Originally a 5th-round (171st pick overall) draft choice by the Giants in 2019.

TRANSACTIONS:

• Originally a 5th-round (171st pick overall) draft choice by the Giants in 2019. 

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

• In two seasons, Slayton has played in 30 games with 24 starts and has 98 receptions for 1,491 yards (15.2-yard avg.) and 11 touchdowns with a long catch of 55 yards. He also has 9 kickoff returns for a 2.1-yard average and 2 rushing attempts for minus-1 yards.
• In 2020, Slayton played in all 16 games with 15 starts and led the Giants with 751 receiving yards and a 15.0-yard per-catch average…He tied Sterling Shepard for the team lead with three touchdown receptions and was third on the team and second among the wide receivers with 50 catches…Led the Giants with five receptions of 30 or more yards and 40 of his 50 catches produced first downs, an 80% rate that was the NFL's 3rd highest.
• Began the year with 6 catches for 102 yards, including a season-high 2 touchdowns on receptions of 41 and 7 yards, vs. Pittsburgh (9/14)…Scored the Giants' first touchdown of the season when he got behind cornerback Steven Nelson and caught Daniel Jones' pass to give the Giants a 10-3 lead. He also scored with 1:52 remaining.
• Slayton finished with team highs of catches and 129 yards, both the 2nd-highest totals of his career, at Dallas (10/11)…He had 10 receptions vs. the Jets on Nov. 10, 2019 and 154 yards at Philadelphia on Dec. 9, 2019...The 100-yard game was Slayton's 2nd of the season and 4th of his career…Slayton's 129-yard performance was tied by tight end Evan Engram at Cincinnati for the Giants' highest total of the season.
• Caught 2 passes for 41 yards and scored his 3rd touchdown of the season on a 23-yard reception in the Giants' first victory of the season vs. Washington (10/18).
• Picked up a first down on all 5 of his receptions (for 56 yards) vs. Tampa Bay (11/2).
• Had 5 receptions for 93 yards, including a game-long 40-yarder, vs. Philadelphia (11/15).
• Did not catch a pass at Cincinnati (11/29), just his 2nd career game without a reception (also at Washington on Dec. 22, 2019).
• As a rookie in 2019, Slayton played in 14 games with 9 starts…Inactive for the season's first 2 games with a hamstring injury…Had one of the finest seasons by a rookie wide receiver in Giants history…Led the team with 740 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns and was 4th with 48 catches…The 8 touchdown receptions tied him with Tennessee's A.J. Brown for the highest total among NFL rookies…Slayton's yardage total was the 5th-highest among rookie receivers and his 48 receptions ranked 8th…Averaged 21.0 yards on 9 kickoff returns with a long runback of 30 yards.
• Slayton was the first rookie drafted in the 5th round or later to have 8 or more touchdowns since New Orleans' Marcus Colston in 2006.
• He was the first rookie since 2014 (Odell Beckham, Jr. and Mike Evans) with 3 or more games (3) with 2 or more touchdown catches and the first NFL rookie with multiple 100-yard, 2-touchdown games since 2014, when Beckham, (3), Allen Hurns (2) and Evans (2) each accomplished the feat.
• Slayton scored 2 touchdowns in each of 3 games: at Detroit (10/27), at the Jets (10/11) and at Philadelphia (12/9), the highest total by a Giants rookie since Beckham had 4 games with at least 2 touchdown catches in 2014…In the last 16 seasons, Slayton joins Julio Jones, Evans and Beckham as the only rookie wideouts with 3 or more multiple touchdown-receptions games.
• Slayton is among the top 6 rookies in Giants history in receptions, yards and touchdown catches:

Most Receptions/ Giants Rookie

Odell Beckham, Jr.     2014  91

Saquon Barkley**      2018  91

Jeremy Shockey*      2002  74

Sterling Shepard         2016  65

Evan Engram*            2017  64

Bobby Johnson         1984  48

Darius Slayton         2019  48

Most Receiving Yards/ Giants Rookie

Odell Beckham, Jr.     2014    1,305

Jeremy Shockey*       2002     894

Bobby Johnson         1984     795

Hakeem Nicks          2009      790

Darius Slayton         2019     740

Most Touchdown Receptions/Giants Rookie

Odell Beckham, Jr.     2014   12

Bill Swiacki                1948   10

Ken MacAfee             1954   8

Sterling Shepard         2016   8

Darius Slayton         2019   8

*Tight End

**Running Back 

MOST RECEIVING YARDS GIANTS ROOKIE / GAME

Date                            Player                         Opponent                   Yards

12/28/2014                 Odell Beckham, Jr.     Philadelphia                185

10/13/1985                 Mark Bavaro*            Cincinnati                 176

10/14/1979                 Earnest Gray              San Francisco            169

11/03/2014                 Odell Beckham, Jr.     Indianapolis              156

12/9/19                       Darius Slayton         Philadelphia              154

• Slayton had 3 receptions for 82 yards, including a 46-yarder, in his debut at Tampa Bay (9/22)…Scored his first career touchdown on a 35-yard pass from Daniel Jones in the 2nd quarter vs. Minnesota (10/6), part of a 4-catch, 62-yard performance…Had 2 receptions at Detroit and scored touchdowns on each of them, 22 and 28-yarders, for his first 2-score game.
• Slayton had a season-high 10 catches, for 121 yards (his first career 100-yard game), including touchdowns of 5 and 39 yards, at the Jets.
• Finished with 5 catches for a career-high 154 yards and 2 touchdowns in a Monday night game at Philadelphia. The scores were on 35 and 55-yard receptions, the latter Slayton's longest catch of the season…His yardage total was the highest by a Giants receiver since Oct. 22, 2018, when Sterling Shepard gained 167 yards on 5 catches. The 154 yards was the highest total by a Giants rookie since Beckham had 185 receiving yards vs. Philadelphia on Dec. 28, 2014…Slayton gained all 154 yards in the first half to become the first Giants player with more than 150 receiving yards in a half since Plaxico Burress had 179 yards in the first 2 quarters of a 44-24 victory vs. the Rams on Oct. 2, 2005.
• Slayton's final touchdown of the season vs. Miami (12/15) was a significant milestone in Giants history. With 11:53 remaining in the 3rd quarter, his 5-yard score gave the Giants a 14-10 lead they never relinquished in a game they won, 36-20. More significantly, it was the 366th and final touchdown pass of Eli Manning's 16-year career.

COLLEGE:

• In 3 seasons at Auburn, Slayton played in 38 games and caught 79 passes for 1,605 yards (20.3-yard avg.), and 11 touchdowns, with a long catch of 74 yards…His 1,605 receiving yards rank him 11th among Auburn career leaders…In 2018, played in 12 games (he did not play vs. Alabama State) and finished with career-high totals of 35 receptions for 670 yards (19.1-yard avg.) and 5 touchdowns (the latter figure tying his 2017 total)…Caught 3 passes for 33 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown, vs. LSU…Recorded 5 catches for 91 yards, with a long gain of 53 yards, vs. Southern Miss, and 4 receptions for 58 yards at Mississippi State…His 2 catches at Ole Miss gained 35 and 27 yards…Finished with season-high totals of 8 receptions for 107 yards vs. Texas A&M…Had 2 catches, including a 52‐yard touchdown reception, at Alabama...Caught 3 passes, for touchdowns of 74, 52, and 34 yards, in the Music City Bowl vs. Purdue ...Set Auburn bowl records for receiving yards (160), touchdowns (3), and longest touchdown catch (74).
• In 2017, played in 13 games and totaled 29 receptions for 643 yards (career-high 22.2-yard avg.) and 5 touchdowns…Contributed 2 catches, including a 19-yard touchdown, vs. Ole Miss...Tallied 4 receptions for 146 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown, at Arkansas…Caught 2 passes for 99 yards, one of them a 53-yard touchdown, at Texas A&M…Scored touchdowns on a 42-yard reception vs. Georgia and a 50-yard catch vs. Louisiana-Monroe to become the first Auburn receiver with a touchdown catch in 4 consecutive games since Emory Blake in 2010‐11...In 2016, played in 13 games with 11 starts in his first season of collegiate action…Finished with 15 receptions for 292 yards (19.5-yard avg.) and 1 touchdown…Earned his first start vs. Clemson...Scored his first career touchdown on a 21-yard reception vs. Vanderbilt...Slayton's 56‐yard reception from Jeremy Johnson vs. Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl was Auburn's longest pass play of the season…Redshirted in 2015.

OFF-THE-FIELD ACTIVITY:

• Teamed up with the Far Rockaway Colts and the NYPD throughout the 2020 season to improve police-community relations and education through football in Far Rockaway, Queens via the Team of Teams initiative…Surprised a Military Double Purple Heart Veteran on Zoom to show his appreciation for his service and play a game of Madden... Represented the Far Rockaway Colts during the NFL's Week 13 My Cause My Cleats initiative.

PERSONAL:

• Studied in the College of Business…First-team Class 2A all‐state selection at Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross, Ga…All‐region player at wide receiver and defensive back ...Selected to the U.S. Army All‐American Bowl...State sprint champion at 100 and 200 meters…Son of Pamela Slayton and Eddie Slayton...Has a sister, Maileka...Cousin, Darrell Crawford, played linebacker at Auburn.