New York Giants select Jalin Hyatt in third round of 2023 NFL Draft

Jalin Hyatt put up quality numbers over his first two seasons as a college receiver. Then, as a junior, he absolutely exploded in Knoxville as one of the best wideouts in the nation. Now, that leap to stardom has earned the Tennessee receiver his chance at the next level as the New York Giants selected him with the No. 73 overall pick in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Again, Hyatt’s stats were fairly pedestrian as a freshman and sophomore. In those two years combined, he caught 41 passes for 502 yards and four touchdowns.

In Josh Heupel’s offense, though, he became a focal point of the Volunteer’s aerial assault in 2022. He detonated on the field with stats of 67 catches for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns. That included his historic performance against Alabama where he caught six passes that led to five touchdowns along with 207 yards.

All this helped him to go on and win the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s most outstanding receiver.

This all came after being a four-star prospect in the 2020 class per On3’s Industry Rankings. Hyatt was a prospect among the Top-175 recruits in the nation in that cycle. He was also rated as a Top-30 receiver coming out of high school and the state of South Carolina.

Hyatt’s unique frame and explosive play ability are now headed to New York to take their passing game to the next level. Considering the kind of player he proved to be last season, the Giants just added a significant weapon to utilize through the air in the seasons to come.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Hyatt

In Lance Zierlein’s opinion, Hyatt’s length and deep-ball success will provide a serious weapon to his new team. He compared the combination to what DeSean Jackon had that made him a three-time Pro Bowler. Besides some limitations, specifically on contests, he sees Hyatt as a WR2 at the next level that could still find a way to take the roof off of a defense in the right scenario.

“Long, slender wideout with deep speed that could force defensive coordinators to alter coverage considerations,” Zierlein wrote. “Hyatt’s gliding gait disguises explosive acceleration that can lead to easy separation on deep throws.”

“However, he does display inconsistency on contested catches comes. Hyatt is ordinary getting in and out of intermediate breaks. (He) might be best with a limited route tree full of slants, crossers, and a series of field-stretching patterns,” wrote Zierlein. “Hyatt is an instantly credible WR2 with the ability to make a huge impact, but production could be erratic due to the limitations of his game.”