The New York Giants have their fair share of doubters entering the 2020 NFL season. However, don’t you dare go bunching NFL Network’s Good Morning Football crew into that group of Big Blue haters.
From Peter Schrager claiming quarterback Daniel Jones can develop into the “biggest superstar in New York” to Kyle Brandt pegging 2020 “the year of Saquon Barkley” and Nate Burelson predicting Big Blue to win their division this season, it’s clear the GMFB gang has become quite fond of the G-Men.
Burleson continued the trend recently, doubling down on his growing affection for budding Giants pass-catcher Darius Slayton.
Darius Slayton Primed to Be Daniel Jones’ Top Target?
With the 2020 season underway, the GMFB crew was each asked to choose one player that they feel is flying under-the-radar heading into Week 1 of play. Burleson, a former 11-year NFL wide receiver himself, chose to stay close to home with his vote, landing on Giants second-year pass-catcher Darius Slayton.
“He might not be familiar to you, but Darius Slayton went off,” Burleson said. “Last year when there were so many things going on with this offense- Daniel Jones trying to get his footing, wide receivers being banged up, Golden Tate was suspended- Darius Slayton came in and led the Giants with in receiving yards with 740.”
“You know who led the NFL rookie wide receivers in touchdowns?” Burleson asked. “A.J. Brown. Do you know who tied him? Darius Slayton with eight TDs. The dude was everywhere, and he did this in a year that had so many question marks. Now you have a quarterback that is the man for the future and has a rhythm with you. I want to tell you guys this. It might not be crazy to think that this dude ends up being the number one wide receiver for Daniel Jones this season.”
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Slayton Has the Makings of Being a ‘Top-Flight Receiver’
A fifth-round pick in 2019, Slayton entered last season with little expectations from the outside world. His career started out less than noteworthy, missing the Giants’ first two games of the year.
Slayton eventually made his NFL debut in Week 3, collecting 82 receiving yards in a victory over the Buccaneers. From that point on, the Auburn product never looked back. Slayton finished his rookie campaign with 740 yards on 48 receptions and eight touchdowns, the latter of which tied the aforementioned A.J. Brown for the most amongst all first-year pass-catchers.
Slayton has quickly established himself as one of the league’s most dynamic big-threat options at the position, highlighted by three two-touchdown performances and two 121-plus receiving yard outings. Furthermore, he averaged a whopping 28 yards per touchdown reception in 2019.
Burleson’s praise towards Slayton is nothing new. He notably pegged the Giants pass-catcher as one of his “favorite young wideouts” in all of football back in February, claiming Slayton “can be a top-flight receiver in this league.”
If Slayton can indeed develop into Daniel Jones’ No. 1 target this season, it’ll likely mean a 1K-yard campaign for the 23-year-old. No Giants player has topped 1,000 yards receiving since Odell Beckham Jr. back in 2018.
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Ex-NFL WR Hypes Under-the-Radar Giant: ‘Dude Was Everywhere’