New York Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt says this has been a "tough" year but is optimistic things ... \[+\] will turn around moving forward. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
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It’s been a tough season for second-year wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.
The highly touted collegiate receiver showed some bright spots during his rookie season, posting 23 receptions for 372 receiving yards (16.2 yards per reception). In the Giants’ Week 12 win over the New England Patriots, Hyatt posted his first 100-yard receiving game, resulting in him winning Offensive Rookie of the Week.
However, he’s barely seen any significant action during the 2024 season and has caught just seven balls for 53 yards. After appearing in 51% of the offensive snaps during the 2023 season, he’s appeared in just 35% of the offensive snaps this season.
It doesn’t help matters that Hyatt is now buried on the depth chart behind rookie sensation Malik Nabers, veteran Darius Slayton and third-year man Wan’Dale Robinson.
Despite the disappointing season and situation, Hyatt is keeping an optimistic view of things, saying he remains “confident.”
“I’m still the same guy, still feeling confident, still staying ready,” says Hyatt in a one-on-one interview. “It’s been a tough year for us this year, but we’ll figure it out next year.”
Hyatt was the Fred Biletnikoff Award winner and a Unanimous All-American selection during his final season with the Tennessee Volunteers. After leading the SEC in receiving yards and touchdowns, he was selected with a third-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
However, he has received very little chance of showing off that skill during his second season in the NFL.
“Just knowing who I am and staying ready when the moment comes,” says Hyatt. “Being prepared in practice, taking advantage of practice and game reps. This year has been a tough one for us, offensively. Once we connect and figure out what we have to figure out, we’ll be alright.”
Despite the setback in his sophomore campaign after turning in some promising performances during the 2023 season, the 23-year-old receiver is using this as a positive moving forward.
Hyatt repeatedly mentions how it’s been a “tough year” for everyone on the Giants, not just himself. The Giants are 2-11 and trending towards the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which represents another rebuild following the release of Daniel Jones.
New York had previously signed Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract signing during the 2023 offseason.
“Yeah, it’s been a tough year for us as a group,” says Hyatt. “There are a lot of things we have to correct. It’s not just the receiver room, we have to get better offensively and we will. We have a confident group, confident team. I’m behind these guys and we’ll stay ready.”
The Giants are 2-11 and trending towards the No. 1 overall in pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, where they’ll likely target a new franchise quarterback, whether that be Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward.
New York is currently riding out the remainder of the season with backups Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito as the starters. While the Giants have an uncertain situation at quarterback after 2024 — it also remains to be seen if head coach Brian Daboll will be back — Hyatt remains concentrated on getting better for his third season.
"There's always something that I can continue getting better at,” says Hyatt. “For myself, staying in that weight room, keep getting bigger and better. There's a lot of things as a team we need to get better at. We'll face that in practice and continue to work at it. We'll keep doing that and we'll flip it."
Hyatt is speaking on behalf of his [partnership with World of Hyatt](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw24c1fu8zw/), a collaboration that makes a lot of sense considering the play on words. However, the partnership is a “great” one, says the Giants receiver, stating that the hotel company helps in major ways when it comes to his traveling.
“We've been partnering with them for about three years now, great partnership,” says Hyatt. “I really love it because I do care about comfort, especially when I'm traveling away games or just traveling to vacation, always knowing there's a Hyatt location I can stay at to rest, to sleep and always have great food in the morning.”
The second-year Giants receiver has been partnered with Hyatt since his junior year at Tennessee and says the Headspace app is his favorite part of collaborating with the hotel brand.
“They added the Headspace app where they give you tips on how to sleep, anxiety, stress and jet lag, traveling,” says Hyatt. “I really like the collaboration they have with Headspace. That's big. We have those jet lag days and when you need to rest and sleep and you need something in the background to help you with that, that app can help.”