TOP 20: Darius Slayton
Darius Slayton's 2017 season came out of nowhere, really.
He played a lot as a redshirt freshman in 2016, but didn't accomplish much from a statistical perspective. The Atlanta native was seen as a hard worker and a spirited blocker who, frankly, didn't know how to get open.
Slayton found ways to create separation last fall — by taking cornerbacks for long jaunts down the sideline and winning individual challenges to come down with the ball. Jarrett Stidham became known last season as a deep threat and Slayton, specifically his ability to defeat defenders in phase, played a big role in Stidham's national profile taking off in October.
In that sense, no Auburn player improved more than Slayton.
That's not surprising if you know him. Slayton is among the most aware players in the locker room and always is searching for insight into how he can improve himself. He knew that creating separation was a problem in '16, so he worked with defensive backs Javaris Davis, Carlton Davis, John Broussard and Jayvaughn Myers throughout the summer in an effort to get off jams at the line of scrimmage. He also worked on shaping his body as long passes came into reach, which led to some serious gains on the game field.
Slayton caught 29 balls for 643 yards last season. He averaged 22.2 yards per catch, which ranked fifth among qualified Bowl Subdivision receivers. The offseason work allowed him to revitalize his game. Slayton went from a try-hard blocker to a potential All-SEC player at outside receiver during the course of one year. That's remarkable.
With that said, Slayton had some alarming missteps. Like Sammie Coates a few years back, Slayton has a tendency to follow up juggling, highlight-reel catches with drops on straightforward routes — sometimes during the same series. He also put together a bizarre game at LSU in which Stidham targeted Slayton nine times, yet Slayton walked away with just one catch. A lot goes into numbers like that, drops and inaccurate passes and miscommunication and running the wrong route, but Slayton needs to avoid those kinds of performances.
The great thing from an Auburn perspective, however, is that Slayton is the perfect player from a coach's perspective. He's smart. He's hustling to improve. He accepts criticism without taking it personally. He's the same person every day, doesn't let outside pressures affect his personality. He's also a fine athlete who's made huge strides in terms of reaching his considerable athletic potential.
Will Slayton become a true star this season? It's a matter of eliminating some mental lapses and continuing to maintain a high win percentage on deep balls. Even if he makes modest progress from 2017 to 2018, Slayton has a chance to become an elite wideout.
ON THE UP SIDE: Wins in phase, jumping, spatial awareness, route integrity, leadership
ON THE DOWN SIDE: Lapses in concentration
VOTING RESULTS: No. 7 (Bryan Matthews), No. 8 (Jay G. Tate), No. 10 (The Bunker and Jeffrey Lee)
PREVIOUS RANKINGS: No. 14 in 2017
THE AUBURNSPORTS.COM TOP 20 FOR 2018:
8. Darius Slayton