New York Giants: Injuries could push Darius Slayton to prominence

Darius Slayton was not expected to play a prominent role as a rookie, but injuries in the New York Giants receiving corps could press him into service.

On the surface it is tough to find positives from the injuries to a New York Giants receiving corps already shorn of Odell Beckham Jr.

Injuries to Sterling Shepard and Corey Coleman — the latter’s season ended by a torn ACL — have left New York’s wide receiver depth chart looking extremely depleted. Yet one player who could benefit from this unfortunate turn of events for the Giants is rookie wideout Darius Slayton.

Slayton, despite catching the eye for the improvements he made as offseason activities progressed, looked set to be buried on the depth chart having been drafted in the fifth round out of Auburn.

He began his training camp on the sideline with a minor hamstring injury but, presuming that issue does not linger, Slayton is in a strong position to earn a much greater role with Shepard at least temporarily on the shelf with a broken thumb and Coleman out of the picture completely.

Looking at what he did in college, Slayton should offer the Giants the big-play upside they likely hoped Coleman would deliver, having averaged 20.3 yards per reception at Auburn, where he caught five touchdowns in each of the past two seasons.

However, his ability to do the same for the Giants may be limited given his quarterback Eli Manning is one who has struggled to push the ball downfield in the latter stages of his career. According to John Kinsley, writing in Football Outsiders, Manning ranked 23rd in the NFL in deep ball accuracy in 2018.

With New York’s first-round pick Daniel Jones not exactly known as an accurate downfield passer, it may be best to temper hopes of Slayton making a significant impact as a rookie. Still, although no player wants to benefit from injuries, those suffered by Shepard and Coleman have cleared a path for him to at least have a shot of a productive first season.