New York Giants: Darius Slayton On Catching Eli Manning’s Last Touchdown

New York Giants, Darius Slayton
Nov 10, 2019; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (86) reacts after a first down against the New York Jets during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

There’s been a lot of iconic touchdown passes from New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, but only one has the title of being Manning’s last touchdown. That’s the one that he threw against the Miami Dolphins, and the name of the receiver that caught it isn’t anyone that would have been predicted to do so at the start of the year – not Sterling Shepard, or Golden Tate, or even Cody Latimer, but the rookie Darius Slayton.

Slayton, of course, came to the Giants in the fifth round when the team took a risk on him after he slid in the draft despite analysts saying he had some promise – the 171st pick was where he was drafted, in fact. That’s not the most prestigious spot to be drafted. But Slayton’s proved a lot of people wrong this year and his 8 receiving touchdowns were one of the bright spots during a dark year for the Giants.

It culminated in the play that will go down as Manning’s last touchdown, against Miami in a game that the Giants won. The result also prevents Manning from going out with a losing record – a bright spot in a result that, at the end of the day, helped cost the Giants their good draft position and their shot at Chase Young.

“It’s huge. He’s a legend of the game. A New York legend, somebody I have a tremendous amount of respect for,” Slayton said to the Daily Gazette. “I’m young right now and just a rookie. Right now, it’s just another [touchdown] ball. I’m sure, when I look back on my career, it will be something that is really special to me, because not everybody has the opportunity to play with someone of that caliber. It’s an honor.”

Slayton also spoke on the quarterback that’s replacing Eli Manning and started most of the year following Manning’s benching: Daniel Jones. According to Slayton, there’s a bright future ahead of Jones. His assessment makes sense. After all, he found himself becoming one of Jones’ biggest targets this year.

“I think he did really well as a rookie. The hard part is you come to find out that every single week, you’re learning something new with each new opponent. He’s got a year under his belt. I think he’s going to take off next year.”

There will definitely be big expectations on Slayton based on the Giants’ need for a consistent star at receiver, someone to fill the role that Odell Beckham Jr. once did. That player could be Slayton, potentially, or it could be a healthy Sterling Shepard. If Shepard doesn’t end up struggling with concussions again this year, the position battles at receiver should be quite interesting going forward.