New York Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt is staying optimistic despite a “tough” second season in the NFL as he calls it.
The Tennessee Volunteers standout was one of the top receivers in college football, winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award and being named a Unanimous All-American during his final collegiate season. He parlayed that into being a third-round draft pick, showing some promise as a rookie, including a 109-yard performance that led to Offensive Rookie of the Week honors in a win over the New England Patriots last season.
He finished his rookie campaign with 23 catches for 373 receiving yards, the third-best marks among all wide receivers on the team. However, he’s taken a backseat as the fourth receiver on the team following the inclusion of first-round pick Malik Nabers. Nabers has emerged as the best rookie receiver in the NFL, with 80 catches and 819 receiving yards.
As a result, Hyatt has seen sporadic playing time with just seven catches for 53 receiving yards while appearing in just 35% of the offensive snaps.
“Just continue to make the plays that come to me,” says Hyatt in a one-on-one interview on his objectives before the end of the season. “Just taking advantage of my targets and executing those. At the end of the day, that’s what it is. Just gotta keep doing that.”
One Sunday closer 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uvimyAaODl
— New York Giants (@Giants) July 21, 2024
Although he’s seen a lesser role on offense as a result of Nabers’ emergence, Hyatt is happy for his success and says they have a great relationship.
“He’s a great player,” says Hyatt. “We have had a great relationship from the time we drafted him. Just to see him keep getting better throughout the season has been fun to watch. He’s a great player for us and we have to continue getting better. We have great players.”
The Giants have been through the definition of a “rough” season. They’re currently 2-11 and will be challenging for one of the top two draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. That likely means New York will select either Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward as their next franchise quarterback.
This comes on the heels of the Giants moving on from Daniel Jones just several weeks prior after their former starting quarterback requested his release. Hyatt speaks highly of his former quarterback, calling him a “great leader.”
“He is a great leader,” says Hyatt. “He puts in the work, he cares about his teammates. He’s always watching film. Being a quarterback that cares so much, it makes you want to do more for him.”
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— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) July 26, 2024
Jones has since signed with the Minnesota Vikings, where he’s serving as the backup quarterback to Sam Darnold, a fellow 2019 NFL draftee. Darnold has had a career breakthrough with the Vikings, something that Jones may also one day experience.
“Just for him to be in Minnesota, for him to have a start somewhere new, that’s what I wanted for him,” says Hyatt of Jones landing with the Vikings. “He can still play at the high level that I know he can play at and the Vikings are a great spot for him.”
The 23-year-old receiver says he has spoken and kept in touch with his former quarterback since his departure from New York.
“I have talked to him, just to make sure he’s good in Minnesota,” says Hyatt of Jones. “Just happy for him to be in a new spot and be in a different area, especially Minnesota. That’s a great team for him to be with that coach and those receivers and the team is playing well. It’s a great spot for him, just for him to be there. I’m proud of him, because he’s been through a lot.”
Although the Giants already played the Vikings at the start of the season, Hyatt is “happy” for his former quarterback as he begins a new chapter in his career.
“I hope I see him again when we play them again,” says Hyatt. “Just happy for him to be over there.”
Hyatt’s alma mater, the Volunteers, will be kept busy over the next week as they prepare for their College Football Playoff opener against the Ohio State Buckeyes. It obviously won’t be easy as they’ll be traveling to Columbus, Ohio due to the Buckeyes being the No. 8 seed and the Volunteers being a No. 9 seed.
While the Volunteers will enter as underdogs, Hyatt predicts his school will pull off the upset over the high-powered Buckeyes.
“It’s going to be a tough one,” says Hyatt. “Ohio State is a great team, Tennessee can be dominant on both sides of the field, it’ll be a tough one for them to lose. If I have to give a prediction, I’ve got the Vols winning 24-17.”
And while the odds may be stacked against the Volunteers winning their first National Championship since 1998 — Tennessee has the seventh-best odds — Hyatt is picking his alma mater to win it all.
“I’m going to go with my Vols — that’s who I’m going to go with,” Hyatt says when asked who’s winning the National Championship.
