Evaluating just how good Darius Slayton’s rookie year with NY Giants was

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 10: Darius Slayton #86 and Bennie Fowler #18 of the New York Giants celebrate a touchdown in the first half of their game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on November 10, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 10: Darius Slayton #86 and Bennie Fowler #18 of the New York Giants celebrate a touchdown in the first half of their game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on November 10, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
1 of 4

The NY Giants’ have had rookies lead the team in receiving as Darius Slayton did in 2019 before. If he can turn out to be even nearly as good as them, Big Blue will be in good shape moving forward.

Five different wide receivers for the NY Giants have led the team in reception yards over the past decade. The impressive and now especially encouraging fact is that three of these players did so in their NFL season debuts, due to rookie phenom Darius Slayton.

Some players to lead the NY Giants are as known off the field as much as on the field, such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz. Others, like Hakeem Nicks, had short NFL careers, but not before they cemented themselves into NY Giants folklore.

The latest reception leader, however, has a blank page in front of him. Can Darius Slayton rise to become a household name? Or will he become an outlier to lead during a transition year?

Slayton led the NY Giants in receiving yards in 2019 with 740 yards. That’s the second-lowest total of the past 10 years, only ahead of Sterling Shepard’s 731 yards in 2017. But Slayton also begins his legend as one of the three receivers who led the team in his rookie campaign, and most impressively, showed an affinity for hauling in touchdowns.

Schedule