Jalin Hyatt hauls in first NFL touchdown catch for New York Giants in preseason

Former Tennessee star Jalin Hyatt is making his presence known with the New York Giants. During Friday’s preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, he showed off his big-play ability.

Hyatt hauled in a 33-yard touchdown pass from Tyrod Taylor to help put the Giants ahead 14-3 with 8:13 to play in the second quarter. It marked his first touchdown in the NFL after New York drafted him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Hyatt, the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner, had a breakout season at Tennessee in 2022 before heading to the NFL. He had 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns as the Volunteers put together an impressive 11-2 campaign with Hendon Hooker at quarterback. That helped lead him to the Giants, who selected him with the No. 73 overall pick.

First of many for Hyatt 🤩

📺: NBC4/NFL Network pic.twitter.com/WN6P9sD7AL

— New York Giants (@Giants) August 18, 2023

Jalin Hyatt has impressed through training camp ahead of rookie season with the Giants

Hyatt has opened plenty of eyes during training camp, clocking in at 24 miles per hour at one point. As far as expectations go, Giants general manager Joe Schoen said growth will be key for Hyatt to reach his full potential.

Considering how training camp went, he sounded confident the former Vol could become a contributor.

“He’s strung together — he’s another guy that the last three or four days, has really elevated his game,” Schoen said on The Rich Eisen Show. “And again, these guys are young, specifically the rookies, they have a lot to learn. Learn how to be pros, how we do things, our process, our culture. So he’s done a good job. He’s come a long way from the spring. We expect him to continue to mature, and learn the plays and get in the playbook.

“He’s continued to do that since we’ve returned over the summer, and I think he’s seen the returns on the field. Again, he’s a vertical threat. He can run routes, he can stretch the field. He’s got excellent hands. We’ve seen all that in practice thus far.”

Hyatt’s speed and ability to contribute to the team’s vertical passing game was a big reason why the Giants traded up to select him. New York averaged just 185.7 passing yards per game last season with only six teams performing worse in the category. To put that in perspective, Hyatt averaged 105.6 yards per game at Tennessee a year ago.

On3’s Steve Samra and Kaiden Smith contributed to this report.