New York Giants rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt has seen a significant uptick in his offensive snap count over the past two weeks and he’s made the most of those opportunities.
Hyatt has hauled in five receptions on nine targets for 96 yards, including a beautiful 42-yard reception during a Week 7 victory over the Washington Commanders.
With elite speed, Hyatt’s presence has helped open up things for the Giants offense but he’s still got a ways to go, says head coach Brian Daboll.
“He’s young. I’ve talked about this before. He’s improving, but with these young players, we’ve still got a ways to go in detail, assignment, execution, everything that every position gets evaluated on. Those are things we’ll continue to work on with him,” Daboll told reporters on Monday. “It was good, again, to see him make a few plays, but certainly have ways to improve.”
Although Hyatt has been productive down the field, his catch rate (64.3%) is slightly lower than the Giants would like. He had the opportunity for a touchdown this past Sunday, but it was a difficult play and a smothering defender helped prevent the score.
“He’s made some big plays when he’s had an opportunity to, in terms of downfield. We threw him a few more this game, came down with some, didn’t with others,” Daboll said. “Again, I can’t say it enough, he’s got a long way to go. Hard position to jump right into. He’s making strides, but still got a lot to learn and details to clean up.”
Shortly after the 2023 NFL draft, which saw Hyatt slip into the third round, questions began to surface about his ability to run a full route tree. The argument was that the rookie was immature and relied too heavily on his speed.
Through seven weeks, maturity has not at all been a problem for Hyatt. He’s a hard worker and is improving each and every week but as Daboll alludes, is far from a finished product.
