Darius Slayton (born January 12, 1997) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

wide receiver for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

and was drafted by the Giants in the fifth round of the

2019 NFL Draft The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April 2 ...

Early years

Slayton attended and played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at Greater Atlanta Christian School.

College career

Slayton attended and played college football at

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

. He redshirted in 2015 and contributed on the field from 2016–18.

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

Slayton was drafted by the

in the fifth round, 171st overall, of the

. He was the 18th wide receiver taken that year.

2019

In Slayton's first NFL game, a Week 3 32–31 victory over the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, he had three receptions for 82 yards from fellow 2019 NFL draft pick Daniel Jones. In his third game, a 28–10 loss to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

, he scored a 35-yard touchdown. In Week 8 against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

, Slayton caught two passes for 50 yards, both of which ended up being touchdowns, in the 31–26 loss. During Week 10 against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

, Slayton finished with 10 catches for 121 receiving yards and two touchdowns as the Giants lost 27–34. During ''

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...

'' against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

in Week 14, Slayton finished with five catches, all in the first half, for 154 receiving yards and two touchdowns as the Giants lost 17–23 in overtime. Overall, Slayton finished his rookie season with 48 receptions for 740 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns, leading the Giants in receiving yards for the 2019 season.

2020

In the Giants' 2020 regular season opener against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

on ''Monday Night Football'', Slayton had six receptions for 102 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns during the 26–16 loss. In Week 5 against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

, Slayton recorded eight catches for 129 yards during the 37–34 loss.

2021

In the Giants' Week 2 game against the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

, Slayton finished with three receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown, but dropped a pass in the end zone in the 4th quarter.

2022

In Week 10 game against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

, Slayton averaged 31.7 yards per catch, a career-high for a single game. He also had a 54 yard touchdown and finished with 3 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown in the 24-16 win. He finished the season with 46 catches for 724 yards and two touchdowns through 16 games and 11 starts.

2023

On March 16, 2023, Slayton signed a two-year contract extension with the Giants.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

*
New York Giants bioAuburn Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slayton, Darius 1997 births Living people African-American players of American football People from Norcross, Georgia Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) American football wide receivers Auburn Tigers football players New York Giants players 21st-century African-American sportspeople