Before I get started here today, I would just like to note that there’s not a prettier blue helmet in football than that New York Giants dome. Something about that shine hits right. Anyway, the Giants had a massive comeback win on Sunday, outlasting the Arizona Cardinals 31-28. Down 20-0 at the half, the Giants had been outscored 60-0 through the first six quarters of the 2023 season. Big yikes. Whatever happened at halftime on Sunday worked, as the Giants came out the gates roaring. Rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt was part of the solution, for sure. The speedy wide receiver tallied 89 yards on just two catches. Both of his big plays were crucial to keeping the offense going, and he provided a legitimate deep threat down the field. Hyatt was a bit of a polarizing prospect back in the spring, so since he helped his team get a gutsy win in just Week 2 of the NFL season, I thought this would be a good chance to check in on the former Vols wide receiver to see what worked so well for him in this game.
Jalin Hyatt led the Giants in receiving with 89 yards on only 2 catches.
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) September 17, 2023
They don’t win without him. pic.twitter.com/YOQ5oFPYuH
Hyatt was my 7th ranked wide receiver back in the spring. I wasn’t as high on him as some analysts were, but I also thought that the hate he was getting was completely unreasonable. When it gets to a point where people almost sound like they don’t want a kid to succeed because it might mean their evaluation is wrong, that’s where I draw the line. Here’s my eval of him from this year’s draft cycle:
“My man here just puts his fucking head down and RUNS. I swear that Vols playbook just read “run straight or break it inside.” I make my jokes, but Jalin Hyatt absolutely put the fear of God in defensive backs the way they played him in 2022. I swear someone gave him a 20-yard cushion at one point. I said he was the MVP of the SEC last season because of how he stepped up and what he brought to the Vols offense. It confused the shit out of defensive backs the way they spread out the formation and it bought him just a split second’s worth of hesitation, which is all he needs. The tempo seemed to wear guys down, or having them start the play out of position because they weren’t ready for it. I hate to say it because you don’t want to punish a guy for winning, but hell…we don’t have a real sample size of reps where Hyatt isn’t wide freaking open! How’s he going to respond to press coverage? I don’t think he’s got the frame (176 pounds) or route variance to be a more complete receiver in the NFL, but that track speed makes him a spicy prospect.”
I was careful to avoid saying “he can’t run routes” like a lot of people did. You just never know, right? What a dumb thing to say, to speak in such absolutes when so much of the draft is a crap shoot dependent upon fit and opportunity. All the while, these guys were ignoring the thing that made Hyatt such an appealing prospect to begin with – pure unadulterated unfiltered unteachable Keanu Reeves Sandra Bullock Speed. When he landed with the Giants, I thought it was a great fit for him. Brian Daboll is a fantastic offensive mind, and it was a situation that had the perfect balance of “we don’t need you right away” and “but, there’s still going to be an opportunity for you to contribute.” I felt he’d have a chance to ease into life in the NFL, and ultimately, that would benefit him greatly.
So, with all of this in mind, I wanted to take a closer look at the game he had on Sunday to see how Daboll and company were using him. Was it as simple as Hyatt being the speed one trick pony? Or, were they just going to throw the playbook at him and see what sticks? Ultimately, as you can see from this highly professional charting I did below, it looks like it’ll be a gradual progression from what he was asked to do at Tennessee to what he’ll eventually be asked to do in the NFL.
Super scientific official breakdown of Jalin Hyatt’s route tree vs the Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/DFr0KruxTO
— Stoney Keeley (@StoneyKeeley) September 20, 2023
The Vols ran Hyatt on a lot of option routes, and he took advantage of schematic mismatches to have a prolific 2022 season. What he did against the Cardinals was a step up from that, but it’s still not like Daboll is asking him to go out there and run whip routes and dig routes and anything from the depths of the playbook.
But, there’s some real variance there, and I applaud the Giants for how they’re developing Hyatt. The routes denoted with ‘BOMB!’ indicate the two receptions he made. That top center ‘BOMB!’ was his first reception in this game. He ran that route three times against the Cardinals, and then later in the game, from the same alignment, he broke that route out for his second ‘BOMB!’. Folks, that was brilliant – it was like he’d been baiting the defensive back with that post route all afternoon only to break it out late in the game and haul in another big reception. I really liked his concentration at the point of the catch without really losing any speed on the first reception. All in all, it was a pretty solid showing. The bulk of his routes were deep, but that’s where he excels, so it’s smart for the Giants to lean into that early on. But, I liked how they used him in motion, and even used him as a decoy to block a couple of times. He’s getting his feet wet, and that’s the way to do it if you ask me. I’m excited to see how he develops in this offense because if he continues to evolve, he could become a massive play-maker for the Giants, and a weekly flex start in your fantasy lineups.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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