Darius Slay

Darius Demetrius Slay Jr. (born January 1, 1991) is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and played college football at Mississippi State University.

Not to be confused with Darius Slayton.

Darius Slay Jr.
Slay in 2017
No. 24 – Philadelphia Eagles
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1991-01-01) January 1, 1991
Brunswick, Georgia
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Brunswick
(Brunswick, Georgia)
College:Mississippi State
NFL Draft:2013 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Total tackles:406
Sacks:1.0
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:2
Interceptions:20
Pass deflections:110
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

A native of Brunswick, Georgia, Slay attended Brunswick High School, where he was a running back and defensive back. He was named All-State by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at defensive back following his senior season, and was also chosen for the Georgia North-South All-Star Game. He rushed for over 1,300 yards and 15 touchdowns in the 2008 season, and intercepted six passes with two touchdown returns. His junior season was shortened by a torn medial collateral ligament after he had rushed for 336 yards and six touchdowns in five games. As a sophomore, he put up 1,127 yards on 142 rushes with 13 touchdowns. Slay also lettered in basketball and was a standout track and field athlete. He was timed at 10.9 seconds in the 100 meters and 22 seconds in the 200 meters.

College career

Slay attended Itawamba Community College before transferring to Mississippi State University.

As a freshman at ICC, Slay earned First Team Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) All-State and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region 23 honors after record 41 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack and forced two fumbles after only playing five games for Coach Jon Williams and the Indians. After his freshman season, he earned JC Gridwire Preseason Second Team All-American honors. During his final season in Fulton, Slay played in all nine games, recorded 32 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, and had three catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. He earned MACJC First Team All-State honors on defense and special teams.[1]

After ICC, he played for head coach Dan Mullen's Mississippi State Bulldogs football team in 2011 and 2012. In his two seasons for Mississippi State, he had 64 tackles, six interceptions, and two touchdowns.

Professional career

Coming out of Mississippi State, Slay was projected to be a second- or third-round draft pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He received an invitation to the NFL combine and completed all of the required combine and positional drills. On March 6, 2013, Slay participated at Mississippi State's pro day in front of team representatives and scouts from 30 NFL teams.[2] He was ranked as the seventh-best cornerback prospect available in the draft by NFL analyst Mike Mayock and was ranked the eighth-best cornerback by NFLDraftScout.com.[3]

External video
Darius Slay's NFL Combine Workout
Darius Slay's 40-yard dash
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 11 7⁄8 in
(1.83 m)		 192 lb
(87 kg)		 32 1⁄4 in
(0.82 m)		 9 3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.36 s 1.50 s 2.47 s 4.21 s 6.90 s 35 1⁄2 in
(0.90 m)		 10 ft 4 in
(3.15 m)		 14 reps
All values from NFL Combine[4][5]

2013

The Detroit Lions selected Slay in the second round (36th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.[6] Slay was the fifth cornerback drafted in 2013, behind Dee Milliner, D. J. Hayden, Desmond Trufant, and Xavier Rhodes.

External video
Lions draft Darius Slay 36th overall
Darius Slay's 2013 NFL Draft Interview

On May 3, 2013, Slay underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. On May 13, 2013, the Detroit Lions signed Slay to a four-year, $5.28 million contract that included $3.12 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $2.22 million.[7][8]

He competed with Chris Houston and Bill Bentley throughout training camp in 2013 for the starting cornerback role.[9] Head coach Jim Schwartz named Slay the starting cornerback to begin his rookie season.

He earned his first start in his professional regular season debut during the 2013 season opener against the Minnesota Vikings and recorded four solo tackles and a pass deflection as the Lions won 34–24. After giving up a big play, he was benched in favor for veteran Rashean Mathis in the fourth quarter.[10] Slay started the following week, but after struggling he was demoted in favor of Mathis and only appeared on special teams during the Lions' Week 3 victory over the Washington Redskins.[11] On September 29, 2013, Slay had a season-high seven combined tackles and a defense pass in a 40–32 victory over the Chicago Bears.[12] On December 7, 2013, it was confirmed that Slay had suffered a torn meniscus during practice. The injury happened during a non-contact drill and was described as a "freak" accident by head coach Jim Schwartz. It caused him to miss the following three games (Weeks 14–16).[13] On December 31, 2013, the Detroit Lions fired head coach Jim Schwartz after they failed to qualify for the playoffs and finished with a 7–9 record in 2013.[14] Slay finished with 34 combined tackles (27 solo) and six passes defended in four starts and 13 games.[12]

2014

Slay entered training camp slated as a starting cornerback, along with Rashean Mathis, but saw minor competition from Chris Houston. Head coach Jim Caldwell named Slay and Rashean Mathis the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season in 2014.[15]

Slay started the season-opener against the New York Giants and recorded three solo tackles and a season-high three pass deflections in a 35–14 victory. On September 28, 2014, Slay recorded five combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception during a 24–17 victory at the New York Jets in Week 4. Slay made his first career interception off a pass by quarterback Geno Smith, that was originally intended for wide receiver Eric Decker, and returned it for a 40-yard gain in the fourth quarter.[16] In Week 13, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles and had a season-high three pass deflections in the Lions' 34–17 win against the Chicago Bears. On December 14, 2014, Slay recorded five combined tackles, deflected two passes, and made an interception during the Lions' 16–14 win against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15. Slay intercepted a pass by Vikings' quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, that was intended for wide receiver Greg Jennings, in the second quarter.[17] He started in all 16 games in 2014 and recorded a career-high 61 combined tackles (48 solo), 17 pass deflections, and two interceptions.[18]

The Detroit Lions finished second in the NFC North with an 11–5 record and qualified for a playoff berth. On January 4, 2015, Slay started his first career playoff game and made one solo tackle and broke up a pass as the Lions lost the NFC Wildcard Game 24–20 at the Dallas Cowboys.

2015

Slay entered training camp slated as a starting cornerback. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin retained Slay and Rashean Mathis as the starting cornerback duo to start the 2015 season.[19][20]

He started in the Detroit Lions' season-opener at the San Diego Chargers and recorded five solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by quarterback Philip Rivers during a 28–33 loss.[21] On December 13, 2015, he recorded two solo tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted St. Louis Rams' quarterback Case Keenum during a 14–21 loss.[22] The next week, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles and two pass deflections, as the Lions defeated the New Orleans Saints 35–27. He started all 16 games in 2015 and recorded 59 combined tackles (48 solo), 13 pass deflections, and two interceptions.[18]

2016

On July 29, 2016, the Detroit Lions signed Slay to a four-year, $48.15 million contract extension with $23.1 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $14.5 million.[8][23]

Slay entered training camp as the No. 1 cornerback on the Lions depth chart after the Lions opted to not re-sign Rashean Mathis. Head coach Jim Caldwell named Slay and Nevin Lawson the starting cornerbacks in 2016, along with nickelback Quandre Diggs.[24]

On October 2, 2016, Slay recorded four solo tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and made his first career sack during the Lions' 17–14 loss at the Chicago Bears in Week 4. Slay sacked quarterback Brian Hoyer for a seven-yard loss in the first quarter.[25] In Week 7, Slay recorded two combined tackles before exiting the Lions' 20–17 victory against the Washington Redskins in the third quarter due to a hamstring injury. His hamstring injury caused him to miss the next two games (Weeks 8-9).[26] In Week 15, he made one tackle before sustained a hamstring injury and exiting in the first half of the Lions' 17–6 loss at the New York Giants. He remained inactive during the Lions' Week 16 loss at the Dallas Cowboys.[27] On January 1, 2017, he collected a season-high eight solo tackles in a 31–24 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 17.[28] He finished the 2016 season with 44 combined tackles (43 solo), 13 passes defensed, two interceptions, a sack, and a forced fumble in 13 games and 13 starts.[18]

The Detroit Lions finished second in the NFC North with a 9–7 record and earned a wildcard berth. On January 7, 2017, Slay recorded two combined tackles in the Lions' 26–6 loss at the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wildcard Game.[28]

2017

Head coach Jim Caldwell retained Slay and Nevin Lawson as the starting cornerbacks in 2017. On September 18, 2017, Slay recorded a season-high eight combined tackles and two pass deflections during a 24–10 win against the New York Giants.[29] In Week 3, he made five solo tackles, defended two passes, and intercepted two passes by quarterback Matt Ryan during a 30–26 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He returned one 37 yards as the Lions were defeated by the Falcons 26–30. It was the first game of his career with multiple interceptions in the same game.[12][30] On December 16, 2017, Slay made five combined tackles, three pass deflections, and intercepted two passes by quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in the Lions' 20–10 win over the Chicago Bears. His performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. His two interceptions gave him the lead for most interceptions seventh interception, while his 27 passes defended also led the league. Slay became the first Lions player with seven interceptions in a season since Glover Quin in 2014, and the first Lions cornerback to do so since Bruce McNorton in 1983. Since 2000, Slay is the only player in the NFL to accumulate five tackles, two interceptions and three pass defenses twice in the same season.[31][32] On December 20, 2017, it was announced that Slay was selected to play in the 2018 Pro Bowl, marking the first Pro Bowl selection of his career.[33] He started in all 16 games in 2017 and recorded 60 combined tackles (54 solo), a career-high 26 pass deflections, and eight interceptions.[18] His eight interceptions led the league in 2017. Slay was named First-Team All-Pro for the 2017 season. Pro Football Focus gave Slay an overall grade of 80.6, which ranked 16th among all qualifying cornerbacks in 2017.[34] He was also ranked 49th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[35]

2018

In Week 14, Slay returned an interception off of quarterback Josh Rosen 67 yards for a touchdown in a 17–3 win over the Arizona Cardinals, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[36]

2019
Slay in a game against the Washington Redskins

In week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Slay recorded his first interception of the season off Philip Rivers in the 13–10 win.[37]

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 20, 2020, Slay was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a third-round and fifth-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. Along with the trade, Slay signed a new three-year deal the next day with the Eagles worth $50 million including $30 million guaranteed.[38][39] Slay announced he would be wearing jersey number 24 in honor of Kobe Bryant, as Rodney McLeod already wears #23.[40]

In Week 16 against the Dallas Cowboys, Slay recorded his first interception as an Eagle off a pass thrown by Andy Dalton during the 37–17 loss.[41]

NFL statistics
Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GGSCombTotalAstSackPDIntYdsAvgLngTDFFFR
2013DET 134342770.050000000
2014DET 16166148130.01724221.042000
2015DET 16165948110.0132000000
2016DET 1313444311.01322412.013010
2017DET 1616605460.0268739.137001
2018DET 1515434030.017310735.767T100
2019DET 14144636100.0132199.519001
2020PHI 1514595360.0612525.025000
Total118108406349571.01102029014.567112

[42]

Postseason
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GPGSCombTotalAstSackPDIntYdsAvgLngTDFFFR
2014DET 111100.010000000
2016DET 112110.000000000
Career223210.010000000

References
  1. "Former Indian Darius Slay named to first Pro Bowl". Itawamba Community College. December 27, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  2. Bob Carskadon. "Bulldog Football Players Go Through Paces Of NFL Pro Day". hailstate.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  3. Mike Mayock (April 19, 2013). "2013 NFL Draft: Mike Mayock's top 100 prospects". NFL.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  4. Darius Slay Draft Profile. NFL.com. Retrieved on October 9, 2013.
  5. http://draftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=96506&draftyear=2013&genpos=CB&fb_comment_id=10151026936779371_23504287
  6. Former ICC star Darius Slay selected by Lions in NFL Draft
  7. Associated Press, "Lions sign top draft pick DE Ezekiel Ansah to 5-year contract, 8 others to 4-year deals," The Washington Post (May 10, 2013). Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  8. "Spotrac.com: Darius Slay contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  9. "Ourlads.com: Detroit Lions' depth chart: 08/01/2013". ourlads.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  10. Paula Pashche (September 9, 2013). "Detroit Lions notes: Darius Slay still a starter". theOaklandpress.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  11. Michael Rothstein (September 23, 2013). "Rookie Watch: Ansah continues his rise". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  12. "NFL Player Profile: Darius Slay". NFL.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  13. Michael Rothstein (December 7, 2013). "Darius Slay has a torn meniscus". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  14. Rothstein, Michael (December 31, 2013). "Lions fire Jim Schwartz". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  15. Yuille, Sean (September 1, 2014). "Lions depth chart released for Week 1 of season". prideofdetroit.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  16. "NFL Game Center: Week 4-2014: Detroit Lions @ New York Jets". NFL.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  17. "NFL Game Center: Week 15-2014: Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions". NFL.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  18. "NFL Player stats: Darius Slay (career)". NFL.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  19. "Ourlads.com: Detroit Lions depth chart: 08/01/2015". ourlads.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  20. Yuille, Sean (August 10, 2015). "Detroit Lions depth chart 2015: First edition of training camp". prideofdetroit.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  21. "NFL Game Center: Week 1-2015: Detroit Lions @ San Diego Chargers". NFL.com. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  22. "NFL Game Center: Week 14-2015: Detroit Lions @ St. Louis Rams". NFL.com. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  23. Patra, Kevin (July 29, 2016). "Darius Slay inks 4-year, $48M Lions contract extension". NFL.com. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  24. Reisman, Jeremy (September 4, 2016). "2016 Detroit Lions projected depth chart". prideofdetroit.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  25. "NFL Game Center: Week 4-2016: Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears". NFL.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  26. Birkett, Dave (October 24, 2016). "Detroit Lions' injured Darius Slay might miss matchup vs. Hopkins". freep.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  27. "Darius Slay is the latest casualty in ailing Detroit Lions seccondary". freep.com. December 23, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  28. "NFL Player stats: Darius Slay (2016)". NFL.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  29. "Detroit Lions at New York Giants - September 18th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  30. "Darius Slay Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  31. "Darius Slay named NFC Defensive Player of the Week". NFL.com. December 20, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  32. Lam, Quang M. (December 20, 2017). "Rob Gronkowski, Gurley among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  33. "NFL announces 2018 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL.com. December 20, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  34. "Pro Football Focus: Darius Slay". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  35. NFL Top 100 Players of 2018 - No. 49 Darius Slay
  36. Knoblauch, Austin (December 12, 2018). "Derrick Henry, Amari Cooper among NFL Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  37. "Stafford overcomes mistakes to help Lions top Chargers 13-10". www.espn.com. September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  38. Patra, Kevin (March 19, 2020). "Eagles trading for Darius Slay; CB gets extension". NFL.com.
  39. "Lions trade CB Darius Slay to Philadelphia Eagles". March 21, 2020.
  40. "Slay to wear No. 24 with Eagles to honor Kobe". ESPN.com. March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  41. "Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys - December 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  42. "Darius Slay: Career Stats at NFL.com". NFL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
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