Prior to the 2023 NFL draft, many thought Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt would go in the first round. A few scenarios had him going in the second round.
Instead, Hyatt slid all the way to Round 3 where New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen traded up to snag him — a pick they believe is a steal.
“I’m not sure (why he fell). I’m glad he was there, though,” Schoen said after Day 2. “Josh Heupel, the head coach at Tennessee is a good friend of mine. We go way back. Oklahoma was my area a long time ago when he was a quarterback coach. I’ve known him for a long time, and he was the head coach at Central Florida when we took Gabe Davis, when we were in Buffalo. There’s some history there. I called him at some point today and just checked on Hyatt. We had him in on a visit. Again, I’m not sure why he was there, but we feel good about him and glad he was.”
Despite falling into the third round, Hyatt didn’t lose a single shred of his confidence. He still feels he was the best wide receiver available in the draft and intends to reward the Giants for moving up to get him.
“The Giants traded up to get me and that’s something I’ll always remember, and I can’t wait to go out and show up for them,” Hyatt said on Saturday.
Hyatt intends to show up for the Giants and quarterback Daniel Jones by getting open “24/7.”
“I feel like I’m just dynamic, explosive, I feel like I get open 24/7. I think that’s what you want in a receiver, and I feel like really with those three attributes, I think that’s what separates myself from everybody else,” Hyatt said. “I’m not going to come in here and say I only play slot, or I only want to play outside. That’s why I said I’m dynamic and explosive. I want to play everywhere. Wherever Coach wants me at, that’s where I’m going to play at and I’m going to do what I have to do.”
Although the Giants added an entire stable of wide receivers this offseason, Hyatt is unique with his ability to take the top off a defense. No longer will teams be able to sell out on stopping Saquon Barkley without running the risk of being burned deep.
