New York Giants rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt opened eyes this past summer at training camp with his speed. He was clocked at 24 miles per hour, the fastest time ever registered since the league began measuring players’ running speed.
The Giants felt they had something special in Hyatt all along, having traded up in the third round to select him last spring and he was about to pay some lofty dividends.
But speed isn’t everything in football and Hyatt and the Giants would soon learn that. Although Hyatt was on the field for 50 percent of the offensive snaps, his receiving numbers did not match his blazing speed and promise.
Hyatt caught just 23 of 40 targets for 373 yards with no touchdowns. He did lead the team in average yards per reception, however (16.2), showing off a little bit of his big play potential, but overall his season was not what the team had hoped.
As the Giants packed up their gear after the season, Hyatt seemed to know that more was expected of him this season.
“I just want to keep getting better and keep grinding,” Hyatt said, via Sports Illustrated. “Stay off my feet a little bit at the beginning of this offseason but right back to the grind after that. I can’t wait.”
It appeared the jump from the college ranks at Tennessee to the NFL was a larger chasm than Hyatt had expected. Perhaps the Giants felt he was too green to rely on, throwing the ball to more experienced receivers such as Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, Darren Waller and Saquon Barkley.
Hyatt did learn a few things in his rookie season, and plans on building on that knowledge.
“A lot more confident, and that just goes by experiencing games,” Hyatt said. “I feel like I know, fully this playbook and fully what I’ve got to do. At the beginning, I didn’t really know, starting off. Keep getting better. That’s the mindset I have for myself. I have high expectations, and it starts with the work in the offseason. That starts now.
“I definitely want to contribute more, that’s for sure. I felt like I did alright this year, but I left some plays out there that I wish I had back. I think the expectations for next year for myself are to be better and get better, be more consistent, get open more, and make more plays when they come to me. That’s my expectation.”
The Giants undoubtedly share similar expectations.
