Darius Slay: NFL’s Next Shut Down Corner?

In this crazy life called being a Detroit Lions fan, It’s not a shock when fans find themselves hesitant about falling head over heels for a player and declaring him a superstar.

You’ve seen this with guys like Matthew Stafford or DeAndre Levy. The player’s accomplishments are always far outweighed both by the fact that they play for the Detroit Lions and that they’ve made mistakes in their careers. One player I was sure would dodge all of this is third year corner Darius Slay. A recent combing of Lions social media and a debate on Twitter shockingly revealed to me that fans don’t buy that Darius Slay is good. Some said inconsistent, others resorted to insults.

This got me thinking. Is Darius Slay overrated? I immediately answered my question with a resounding no. My next thought was why do some Lions fans think he is? It’s a combination of things. When Mel Kiper tells you four years in a row that the Lions should draft a corner in the first round, that’s one reason. When sportscenter tells you there’s Revis, Sherman, Peterson and Norman, then there’s everybody else. When you’ve dealt with Chris Houston, Alphonso Smith, Chris Greenwood, Bill Bentley, Jonte Green and many others, the only thing you could possibly expect is a poor performance.

Slay gave detractors that performance to cling too in week three against the AFC champion Denver Broncos. Slay allowed 123 yards and a touchdown. I can’t argue, that was a poor performance. But what if I told you that one touchdown was part of only three that Slay would allow all season? What if I told you he wouldn’t allow over 49 yards to a receiver for the rest of the  season? Would any of that change your mind? What about the fact that Slay allowed just over 33 yards per game? That do anything for you?

Just how good is Matthew Stafford?

Perhaps the most telling stat is the fact that Pro Football Focus ranked Darius Slay as the NFL’s second best corner of the 2015 season.

That’s unbelievably high praise. Especially when you consider he’s above everyone Sportscenter tells you is the best in the league. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not at all saying that Slay is the best in the league. But is it crazy to think that if he keeps improving at this pace that he could be within a year or two? It really isn’t at all. Whether you’re ready to believe or not, Slay is the real deal and it’s ok to be happy about that. One more thing though.

Dude is about to get paid like a superstar no matter how you feel about him. As I’m sure you know, Slay switched agents last week to be with super agent Drew Rosenhaus. This guy doesn’t represent your average NFL joe. He’s represented Terrell Owens, Rob Gronkowski, Warren Sapp and LeSean McCoy to name a few. If it hasn’t registered yet, let me put it this way. If your agent has been in more sportscenter commercials and graced the cover of Sports Illustrated more than you have, you’re in really good hands. We’ll see just how much Slay nets soon enough. The good news is that he wants to be in Detroit. So breathe easy.