WR Darius Slayton, Auburn

6’1” – 190 lbs. – 4.39
Redshirted, then started eleven of thirteen games played the following season, ending up with a 15-292-1 line. Went 29-643-5 as a sophomore and 35-670-5 as a junior before declaring for the draft. Relatively tall but somewhat thin receiver who functioned as his team’s deep threat on the outside, occasionally sliding down into the slot. Releases well at the line of scrimmage; keeps things simple and effective. Pretty good route-runner whose tree was a little bit limited but who gets up to speed quickly, sinks his hips into the stem, and runs crisp patterns, although he can be disrupted by physicality. Has good top-end wheels to threaten down the field, with some nuance to his routes and the ability to dip his shoulder and slip by contact; one of the draft’s faster receiver prospects. Ran a lot of routes where he’d make an outside release and then run a comeback or curl; does a good job of getting underneath the defender. Able to get low and scoop poorly-thrown balls off the ground. As a receiver who averaged about twenty yards per catch over his career, can force teams to respect him as a deep threat by playing off-coverage, and then work under the cushion. Would like to see him keep his hands a little bit closer to his frame going into the break. Doesn’t have the most reliable hands but is a flexible prospect with good body control and sideline awareness; able to pirouette down the sidelines, with good leaping skills to get vertical. Pretty shifty in the open field, with good explosiveness to break big gains when he catches a screen and finds a lane. Can sometimes struggle to absorb contact as a blocker (lacking functional strength), but appears to have pretty sound fundamentals, getting his knees bent and extending his arms to lock out opponents. Has the short-area quickness to line up tight to the formation or in the slot and position himself to wall off second-level defenders. A lithe deep threat with an excellent combination of speed, flexibility, and body control, but whose thin body allows him to get disrupted by physical cornerbacks and inhibits his ability to block effectively. May need some time in a pro strength program before he’s ready to see the field, but there’s a lot to like about his game. Should be off the board by the fourth or fifth round.