Darius Slayton made his NFL debut alongside Daniel Jones in Week 3. Over the next 10 games, the Giants’ fifth-round pick slowly emerged as one of the league’s most promising rookie receivers.
On Monday night, Eli Manning — and most of the country — got their best look at the potential of the game-changing 22-year-old, who recorded a career-high 154 yards receiving with two touchdowns in the overtime loss to the Eagles.
“He does a good job getting separation,” Manning said after Wednesday’s practice. “He’s got good speed and tracks the ball well and has some playmaking abilities. He’s an easy target, a big target to throw to.”
While Slayton could spend years as Jones’ favorite target, the receiver appreciated the experience pairing up with Manning, the two-time Super Bowl MVP.
“It’s an honor to play with a Hall of Fame quarterback. A lot of guys don’t have that opportunity in their career, so I’m very blessed,” Slayton said. “I was grateful we had a second opportunity to be on “Monday Night [Football]” and show what I could do on a national stage.”
Slayton has a team-high 659 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, while ranking second with 42 receptions.
“I knew I wanted to come in and make an impact. I knew I could come in and make an impact,” Slayton said. “I didn’t really know how much I was going to be able to do that, but like I said, I’ve definitely been blessed. … Having two really good quarterbacks to play with in my rookie season has definitely helped me out a lot.”
Guard Kevin Zeitler didn’t practice after being carted off from Monday’s game with a sprained right ankle, and coach Pat Shurmur was unsure when he would return to the field.
“He wasn’t able to be out here today, and he’s a tough son of a gun,” Shurmur said. “We’ll just have to see how today goes, evaluate it this afternoon and see what he can do tomorrow.”
Tight ends Evan Engram (foot) and Rhett Ellison (concussion) were limited, along with wide receiver Golden Tate (foot). Cornerback Corey Ballentine (concussion) was a full participant after missing Monday’s game.
