The Giants traded up in the third round of the 2023 draft to select wideout Jalin Hyatt. Through the first two weeks of the current season, though, he has not emerged as a regular contributor in the passing game.
Hyatt has logged only 28 offensive snaps to date, and he has been targeted once so far. The Tennessee product spent much of the offseason competing with veteran Darius Slayton for a starting role, but he sits fourth on the depth chart as things stand. Slayton, Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson represent the Giants’ preferred trio on the first-team offense, so an injury will be needed for Hyatt to handle a notable workload.
During the summer, the 22-year-old expressed frustration with his situation, with ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reporting Hyatt told the Giants they should trade him if they kept him pegged for a backup role. Raanan adds no consideration is being given to to a trade, and head coach Brian Daboll said on Friday he never received a trade request in the offseason (h/t Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News). Hyatt himself also offered a denial of the report (video link via SNY). For now, attention from team and player will be focused on preparing for an evantual uptick in usage.
“I thought I had a very, very good training camp and they told me I did,” the Tennessee product said (via Raanan). “They told me I had a great training camp, but there are things that I can’t control, and I am disappointed about it, but at the end of the day, I’m just going to keep getting better and my chance will come, and when it comes I will be ready.”
Hyatt put up modest production during his first two seasons with the Volunteers. During his junior campaign, however, he racked up 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to winning the Biletnikoff Award as the country’s top receiver. That helped his draft stock, although questions remained with respect to his overall skillset at the NFL level. Hyatt was primarily viewed as a vertical threat upon entering the league, and that was demonstrated by his 16.2 yards per catch average as a rookie.
Since he is attached to his rookie contract through 2026, it would have come as a surprise if the Giants had given serious thought to a trade involving Hyatt during the summer. Since he does not play on special teams, though, he is in line to remain a relative afterthought for the team’s WR room barring a change on the depth chart and a resultant increase in opportunities.