Former Auburn Tigers WR Named NFL's Most Underrated

Before he ran routes for the New York Giants, former Auburn Tigers wideout Darius Slayton left defenses in his wake as a big-play threat on The Plains. For the past six seasons, he's provided a bevy of quarterbacks with a similar deep threat as a member of the Giants. 

In three seasons with the Tigers, Slayton racked up 1,605 yards and 11 touchdowns. He parlayed his success at Auburn into becoming a fifth-round pick by the Giants in 2019.

Through quarterback changes and philosophy shifts, the 28-year-old receiver shows up to do his job, never garners much attention, but earns leaguewide respect. In those six seasons as a Giant, he tallied 259 catches for 3,897 yards and 21 touchdowns. Slayton's play caught the eye of ESPN writer Aaron Schatz, who named him the most underrated wide receiver in the NFL 

"Slayton wasn't supposed to be anything special as a fifth-round pick in 2019, but he started nine games and caught eight touchdown passes in his rookie season,” Schatz wrote on ESPN. “Sure, he hasn't come anywhere close to that end zone production since then. 

“But the Giants played Slayton alongside Malik Nabers last season, and you need at least two starting wide receivers to survive in the modern NFL. Slayton caught 39 passes for 573 yards, which was convincing enough for the Giants to bring him back on a three-year, $36 million contract."

With Malik Nabers absorbing most of the targets, you may question how Slayton makes the list. First and foremost, he stretches the field for Nabers, who averaged 11 yards per catch during his rookie campaign. By taking the top off the defense, Slayton allows Nabers to roam underneath in wide-open space, free of extra defenders clogging the area. Instead, he works the middle and sideline with aplomb. 

The New York Football Giants have played for 100 years, and Slayton cracked the top 20 in franchise history for receiving yards. He has a chance to be top-5 by the end of his three-year deal. 

Now, what could the veteran work on?

Granted, somewhere in the backs of our collective minds, we all expect fast wideouts that are not the main targets to run fast, catch the occasional deep pass, and drop too many. In Slayton's case, that would be an accurate assessment. 

The former Tiger still struggles with the drops, with 14 over the last three seasons. However, a valid reason for bobbling the ball does exist, and Slayton does possess an out. Over a 17-game season, former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones would make 81 bad throws per year. 

With Jameis Winston, Russell Wilson, and rookie Jaxson Dart in the quarterback room, Slayton's job does get far easier. While not perfect, the Giants hope the veteran wideout can continue to provide a threat while Nabers roams free on the other side. 

Slayton arrived in New York with little fanfare. However, the former Auburn Tigers standout has become the NFL’s most underrated receiver.