New York Giants WR Darius Slayton is this year's Alan Page Community Award winner. He's also one of the most underrated players at his position. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
When one thinks of the New York Giants offense, two names that immediately come to mind include whoever is the starting quarterback (in this case, Russell Wilson) and receiver Malik Nabers.
Rightfully so, as both are among the most important members of the offense. But there is another just as important, if underrated, member of the offense who often doesn't get the credit he deserves: receiver Darius Slayton.
Slayton, a fifth-round draft pick in 2019 and one of the team's longest-tenured members hasn't posted flashy numbers throughout his career.
He's never exceeded 800 receiving yards nor recorded double-digit touchdown catches, and his 28 career drops among 459 pass targets (6.1% drop rate) don't exactly scream elite.
But Slayton has been consistent and reliable. In four of his six seasons with the Giants, he's finished as the team leader in receiving yards.
He's also held a respectable 86.1 career target rate and developed into a key leader in the locker room, so much so that the Giants brought him back this offseason on a three-year, $36 million deal with $22 million guaranteed.
That's not too shabby for a receiver who was a healthy scratch in the very first game for head coach Brian Daboll, who was forced to take a pay cut in 2022, who had to compete for the WR2 spot against Jalin Hyatt, a draft pick the current regime traded up to get, and who also saw his pass targets fall to under 40 for the first time since his injury-shortened 2021 season.
Slayton, Aaron Schatz of ESPN's choice for one of the most underrated players at every position, has prevailed through it all. He led the Giants' receivers last year in yards per reception (14.7).
And as Schatz noted in his write-up, Slayton has had a positive receiving DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) in his last three seasons, all while doing so despite the mostly subpar quarterback play with which he's had to work.
Want more things to appreciate about Slayton and what he's brought to the Giants? Besides being the team's best downfield blocker among the receivers, his contested catch rate (60%) was the best of the Giants' wideouts, and his 13.7 average depth of target (ADOT) last year was also the best among the Giants' receivers.
All that said, Slayton, who has never been about the spotlight, will continue his role as WR2 in this offense, which is likely to again focus on Nabers and his dynamic skillset. But make no mistake: having a player of Slayton's underrated talents and leadership makes the investment the team made in him well worth it.