Arguably one of the highest risers out of all the Auburn players that declared for the draft, Darius Slayton has proven to be more than just a one-dimensional receiver.
Over his time at Auburn, Slayton was often depicted as solely a deep-ball receiver. His stats paint a similar picture with him averaging over 20 yards a completion over his career.
The past two seasons with Stidham at quarterback, Slayton’s main job was as a field-stretcher and a deep-ball threat. He caught 64 passes for 1,313 yards and 10 touchdowns during that span.
But after an impressive 2017 season, his 2018 campaign was underwhelming for the majority of the year. That was the case up until his offensive explosion in the Music City Bowl where he caught three passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns.
Despite the down season, Slayton announced that he would forgo his senior season and take his talents to the NFL in January, to the surprise of most.
He quickly silenced the doubters.
During his performance at the 2019 NFL Draft Combine, Slayton showed that he could perform with the other elite draft-eligible receivers.
Slayton’s performances were close in comparison to Combine standout D.K. Metcalf in most of the events.
Slayton
40-yard dash: 4.39, sixth for receivers and 11th overall
Vertical: 40.5, third for receivers and T-8th overall
Broad jump: 11’3", T-third for receivers and T-5th overall
3-cone drill: 7.00 seconds, T-ninth for receivers
20-yard shuttle: 4.15 seconds, sixth for receivers
Metcalf
40-yard dash: 4.33
Vertical: 40.5
Broad Jump: 11’2”
3-cone drill: 7.38 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.5 seconds
The impressive showing at the Combine made it easier for Slayton to focus more on proving that he is a consistent pass-catcher and displaying his potential at running a fully formed route tree at Auburn’s pro day.
“I think the biggest thing people just wanted to see me do was route running and catching the ball, and so that’s all I’ve been focused on here,” Slayton said. “I was just making sure I was clean on my routes and catching the ball clean and making it all look smooth.”
Slayton did just that during the pass catching portion of Auburn’s pro day.
“I think I had a good day,” Slayton said. “I came out, I caught everything, I felt clean coming out of my breaks, didn’t slip at all so I felt like I had a good showing today.”
Slayton’s combined performances at the Combine and pro day has garnered a few eyes from NFL scouts with him saying that he has held private meetings with “someone from every team.”
“A lot of people have said they were a little surprised about my route running and catching,” Slayton. “This is what it’s for, it’s an opportunity to prove those types of things.”
Slayton has displayed NFL-ready qualities during his college career, mainly revolving around his speed and athleticism. His ability to get separated from defensive backs using his elite speed and acceleration off the line of scrimmage is something that will be a strength of his going forward.
One issue with Slayton is his struggles against tough man coverage, specifically against Deandre Baker of Georgia, where he put up a season-low one catch for only eight yards. Slayton also has shown weaknesses in his inconsistency at ball-tracking down the field but has shown flashes of a quick ability to find the ball on back-shoulder throws.
Despite some negatives in his game, Slayton has seen his name shoot up draft boards after his performance at the Combine but has made it a priority to try and tune out the hype and focus on proving himself to scouts and GMs.
“You hear it, obviously, you always hope you’re trending up and fortunately for me I heard more of that talk,” Slayton said. “For the most part, I’m just trying to tune it out and trying to do my job out here at these workouts to show that and prove to people that I should be moving up the boards.”
The 2019 NFL Draft will be held on Thursday, April 25 through Saturday, April 27. It is expected to hear Slayton’s named called by commissioner Roger Goodell on the second or third day.
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