Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt is the type of player that doesn’t need outside motivation to perform at a high level.
But if someone if going to give it to you, you might as well use it.
Hyatt, a third round selection by the New York Giants in the 2023 NFL Draft, was one of several Giants wide receivers that were called out by ESPN “Get Up” co-host Ryan Clark on Wednesday.
While discussing whether or not the Giants should trade up for a quarterback in this year’s draft, Clark suggested that whoever is at quarterback for the Giants has no one to throw to. That’s why Clark thinks the Giants should focus on improving their overall roster instead of trading up for a quarterback.
“We’re hearing from [Adam Schefter] about the New York Giants, they aren’t really working to get in that spot (trading up for a quarterback),” said Clark. “And right now, you got Hyatt, (Darius) Slayton, (Wan’Dale) Robinson — it don’t matter who the quarterback is, he ain’t got nobody to throw to. It don’t matter who the quarterback is, ain’t nobody to protect him. And so maybe you should start building the team so when you do get a quarterback, he has an opportunity to succeed.”
Clark’s idea that the Giants shouldn’t settle for just any quarterback — a scenario he mentioned later in the show on Wednesday — is something that most folks can probably agree with. If you don’t love the quarterback, don’t take him. That might mean taking a stud wide receiver if one is available. And that wouldn’t be a bad move for the Giants — adding an elite playmaker to any team would be a good idea.
But the idea that New York is wide receiver poor just isn’t accurate.
Slayton had a solid season in 2023, catching 50 passes for 770 yards and four touchdowns. Robinson contributed 60 receptions for 525 yards and a touchdown.
Hyatt, meanwhile, caught 23 passes for 373 yards despite often getting open on vertical routes without the ball being thrown his way.
The biggest reason the Giants’ receivers didn’t put up better numbers last season was because the offensive line play wasn’t very good and the team was forced to start three different quarterbacks. It’s not like the Giants had Patrick Mahomes back there struggling to complete passes because no one could get open. Nope, instead it was three quarterbacks (Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor, and Tommy DeVito) that will likely combine for zero career Pro Bowl appearances.
Hyatt hasn’t had a chance to truly show his skills yet due to the situation he was in last season. He flashed his abilities in a win against the New England Patriots, which had one of the better defenses in the league, when he caught five passes for 109 yards. But for the most part, Hyatt was hamstrung by the Giants’ inability to give the quarterbacks time to get the ball down the field.
Clark is probably just reading a depth chart while spewing some nonsense. Ultimately, what Clark thinks will have no bearing on how New York’s pass catchers perform in 2024. But his words are still something that Hyatt should take personally. It should be something the former Vol uses as motivation this offseason.
The last time Hyatt was written off, after the 2021 season at Tennessee, he exploded the next year for 15 receiving touchdowns and over 1,200 receiving yards (and he won the Biletnikoff Award). He’s not a player that I would doubt.
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