Darius Slay
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| No. 23 Detroit Lions | |||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | January 1, 1991 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Brunswick, Georgia | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Brunswick (GA) | ||||||||
| College: | Mississippi State | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2013 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2016 | |||||||||
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Darius Demetrius Slay (born January 1, 1991) is an American football cornerback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Lions in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and played college football at Mississippi State.
Early years
A native of Brunswick, Georgia, Slay attended Brunswick High School, where he was an all-state 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 MCL 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, where he played for 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
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40‑yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in | 192 lb | 32 1/4 in | 9 3/8 in | 4.36 s | 1.50 s | 2.47 s | 4.21 s | 6.9 s | 35.5 in | 10 ft 4 in | 14 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine;[1] | ||||||||||||||
The Detroit Lions selected Slay in the second round, with the 36th overall pick, of the 2013 NFL Draft.[2] He was the 5th cornerback taken in the draft, behind Dee Milliner, DJ Hayden, Desmond Trufant, and Xavier Rhodes. On May 3, 2013, Slay underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. The Lions signed him to a four-year rookie contract on May 9, 2013.[3] In 13 games (4 starts) of his rookie year in 2013, Slay made 34 tackles and 6 passes defended.
On September 28, 2014, Slay recorded his first career interception against New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith.
On July 29, 2016, Slay signed a four-year, $50.2 million contract extension with $23 million guaranteed.[4] He earned the nickname "Big Play Slay" after he forced a fumble against the Philadelphia Eagles to set up the game winning field goal and then intercepted Carson Wentz to seal the game. On Thanksgiving against the Minnesota Vikings he intercepted Sam Bradford with 30 seconds left and the game tied 13-13 to set up another game winning field goal, giving the Lions their 4th straight victory on Thanksgiving.
References
- ↑ Darius Slay Draft Profile. NFL.com). Retrieved on 2013-10-09.
- ↑ Former ICC star Darius Slay selected by Lions in NFL Draft
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Patra, Kevin (July 29, 2016). "Darius Slay inks 4-year, $48M Lions contract extension". NFL.com. Retrieved July 30, 2016.