New York Giants: Darius Slayton needs to fix one major issue

The New York Giants drafted Auburn wide receiver Darius Slayton in the fifth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft. A speedy pass-catcher with the ability to take any given reception to the house is what the Giants will gain in Slayton, however, he will face an uphill battle in the NFL if he doesn’t correct his fundamentals.

Slayton has a bad habit of trying to catch passes with his body and not his hands. This will be fatal to his career if he cannot be coached out of this issue.

The New York Giants are giving Darius Slayton plenty of opportunities:

The rookie’s number was called a lot in day three of OTAs, as the coaching staff certainly sees the potential in the sub 4.4 40-yard dash receiver. He hauled in the most passes lined up alongside Alex Tanney and Daniel Jones, earning half a dozen quality catches over the course of the practice.

Per CBS Sports:

“Slayton has good size and is one of the fastest receivers in this class. His hands are shaky at times. Get him the ball on screens and go routes, and he’ll run by a lot of NFL players. The Giants clearly value YAC ability in the short passing game.”

At Auburn, Slayton averaged more than 20-yards-per-reception, which indicates he will be a serious deep threat and wide-receiver screen frequent flier. Being one of just seven receivers to run a sub 4.4 at the NFL Combine, Darius can be the option the Giants call upon to blow the lid off of defenses in the secondary, but again, he will need to refine his technique when the ball is in the air.

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The Giants’ scheme doesn’t focus on the deep game, and trading away Odell Beckham Jr. certainly attests to that statement. It’s good to have the option to do so, and HC Pat Shurmur will certainly look to take shots, but signing Golden Tate and extending Sterling Shepard promotes a possession offense that runs down the clock and moves the chains incrementally.

At 6’1″, 190-pounds, Slayton isn’t the biggest player on the field, and he might even be a little light for a wideout. I anticipate he will add a few pounds of muscle and look to improve his foot/hand work in press-coverage.