Jalin Hyatt

Fantasy Outlook

From a team-building standpoint, the Giants' selection of Jalin Hyatt makes sense.

The G-Men were able to wait until the third round to grab the Tennessee receiver after prioritizing more valuable positions with their first two picks (DB and OL). So, in theory, the whole team should be able to play better with Hyatt as the tangential beneficiary. But Hyatt has some work to do to be a direct contributor.

Despite running 88.4% of his routes from the slot for Tennessee, the Giants already have multiple players waiting to fill the role. They signed oft-injured Parris Campbell to a $4.7M deal in free agency, Wan'Dale Robinson is on the mend but set to return, and Sterling Shepard will be back for his eighth year.

Hyatt could use his speed to win on the outside but has to contend with Darius Slayton and Isaiah Hodgins for looks. Plus, it doesn't help the Giants ended ‘22 with the 11th-lowest PROE. Until we get some clarity on Hyatt’s role, he's a “better-in-best-ball” pick, given his skillset as a deep option for Daniel Jones.

Way-too-early 2023 redraft rank: Low-end WR5

Summary

Hyatt was an afterthought in NFL circles heading into the 2022 season. 

But after a breakout in his junior year, that all changed. 

The speedster finished second in receiving among Power Five WRs with 1,267 yards and led the way with 15 TDs. 

His expected draft capital has taken a slight hit since the combine after weighing only 176 pounds. At that weight, some were hoping for more than a 4.4-forty-yard dash. Nevertheless, Jalin Hyatt should still go in the late-first or early-second round of the NFL draft.

Jalin Hyatt

Pros

Field-Stretching Speed

As a junior, 27% of Hyatt’s targets came 20-plus yards downfield, where he consistently got over the top of some of the best defenses in the country. However, he doesn’t match the typical archetype that comes to mind when we think of a WR who operated from the slot on 88% of routes.

Hyatt’s average depth of target (aDOT) over his first two years was 12.2 yards, but in his final season, that surged to 18.9. And his explosive target rate followed, exploding from 23% to 28%. Hyatt’s 1,085 yards and 13 TDs on plays with over a step of separation ranked No. 1 in the Power Five in 2022, per PFF data.

Hyatt is the No. 1 prospect for Lance Zierlein and Next Gen Stats at NFL.com, and Zierlein comps Hyatt to DeSean Jackson.

The Fantasy Life WR Rookie Super Model likes Hyatt but doesn’t love him, which aligns with some perplexing aspects of analyzing his game on film. He has a slender build but has difference-making speed that allows him to stretch the vertical boundary in a significant way. Will Fuller comes to mind at times when watching him play.

Out With A Bang

Although Hyatt didn’t break out by his age-20 season like his peers in Tier 1, statistically speaking, his junior season was quite the turnaround with his 3.21 YPTA and 37% dominator rating. 

On average, WRs that went on to post a Top 24 finish in their first three seasons in the NFL delivered bests of 2.82 and 34%, respectively.

Cons

“Meh” Target Earner

Hyatt never developed into a target magnet during his career as a Volunteer, registering shares of 11%, 9% and 23%. His 21% career targets per route run (TPRR) is also below average when compared to WRs that delivered high-end results on the NFL stage. The average for WRs who produced a top-24 finish in their first three seasons was 25%.

Needs Alignment Protection?

While many of Hyatt’s big plays can be chalked up to his angle-eliminating speed, Tennessee also went out of its way to provide their start WR with clean releases. In his final season, they used stacked formations and backfield alignments to create uncontested releases.

Of his 387 routes, 337 came with Hyatt aligned off the line of scrimmage, where he delivered a 3.17 YPRR, and his film has a lot of confounding coverage mistakes. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Hyatt can’t win when on the line of scrimmage. He averaged 4.00 YPRR playing on the line of scrimmage, albeit in a small sample size of only 50 routes.

However, the scheme protection does create questions about how broadly Hyatt’s skillset can be applied to an NFL offense. If he can’t defeat on-ball coverage, it could limit playing time if he doesn’t land in a suitable scheme.

Fantasy Impact

Hyatt may never develop into a high-end target earner at the NFL level, but his big-play upside is undeniable. If he can beat on-ball coverage, he has a clear path to earning a WR2 role on an NFL team and could become an air yards magnet. His best Year 1 fit would be on the inside as a seam stretcher on a pass-heavy offense that loves to keep three WRs on the field.

He is a boom-bust type of prospect. In our model, the low end of his comp range is James Washington, and the high end is Christian Watson. He is worth the click at his current ADP on Underdog (WR55).

Michael Mayer