Many people thought the Giants might take Jalin Hyatt in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
He seems to be just the kind of player they need; he’s a speed guy who proved himself as the number-one option on one of the best teams in all of college football last season, and the Giants are a team with a not-so-glorious receiver room.
Somehow, the Giants not only passed up on him in the first round but also in the second and still ended up with him.
After two highly graded picks in rounds 1 & 2 in Deonte Banks and John Michael Schmitz, the Giants had Hyatt essentially fall into their lap in round 3, a pick they could not pass up on.
Hyatt is not the perfect player, though. One major knock against him is his ability to run routes. At Tennessee, they have a relatively rudimentary offensive scheme, and much of what Hyatt was doing included simple go routes, as opposed to the skilled route running and display of a solid route tree that so many NFL scouts look for in prospects from the college level.
What makes Hyatt special, though, is the fact that he did as much damage as he did with these routes. Last season, Hyatt accounted for 1,267 yards receiving on 67 catches, including a whopping 15 touchdowns. His best game came in a thriller against Alabama, where he totaled 207 yards on 6 catches with 5 touchdowns. Yeah, 5 touchdowns.
So while Hyatt is far from the perfect prospect, he has such a high ceiling, thanks to his speed, that many view him as a guy that could truly make a difference on the outside at the professional level.
He will throw in a deep threat dynamic that the team did not have consistently last year that, alongside the slot-centered offense that the Giants seem to be moving towards, may cause fits for opposing defenses. Hyatt has the potential to be the number one option Daniel Jones has been looking for for so long.
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