Russell Wilson believes in Jalin Hyatt and reminds his NY Giants teammate of that daily. Will Hyatt turn his faith into a career-altering opportunity?
EAST RUTHERFORD - Russell Wilson sends Jalin Hyatt text messages almost daily to not only build up his confidence, but sustain it.
They have spent so much time talking through what Wilson believes they can do together as New York Giants teammates.
The best part of the bond they have created is that Hyatt believes him, too.
Now the third-year wide receiver has to continue to believe in the impact he can still make.
Can one catch in the second quarter of a preseason game actually alter the course of a career? The Giants are eager to find out if Hyatt takes the football after that 21-yard reception from Wilson and runs with it.
It's a matter of trust: the Giants coaches and his quarterbacks need to trust Hyatt, of course, but Hyatt needs to trust his own game and the fate that lies ahead as well.
"You get that from your quarterback, it makes you believe you are not forgotten," Hyatt told NorthJersey.com and The Record in the locker room after Saturday's 31-12 preseason victory over the Jets. "Whatever frustration there is, I just want to play and I want to perform. I know Russ trusts me. What I need to do is stay healthy, and because of that, I can still be the player I know I can be."
This was supposed to be the summer where Hyatt finally spread his wings and shows he can be relied upon as a weapon in the Giants' offense. The early returns this spring were great as he worked exclusively with the first team in Malik Nabers' absence, and training camp got off to a solid start as well.
Then Hyatt wound up on the sideline with the training staff, missed last week's preseason opener and didn't do any team work last week in the joint practices due to a hip flexor injury he suffered in practice.
In a bit of a surprise, Hyatt did suit up against the Jets and ran a great route on a go-stop, creating separation as Wilson targeted him with the Giants starting the possession in the shadow of their own end zone at the 2.
"It's one catch, but it's a confidence boost, for sure," Hyatt said. "Last year, didn't have a lot of catches. Didn't have a lot of targets. We didn't have a good year as a team. It was hard, and I was hard on myself. That was tough mentally, and I've worked hard this offseason to move forward and be better. I'm bringing my confidence back to where it needs to be."
Hyatt turns 24 in September and the Giants anticipated the former third-round pick they moved up to select two years ago having a much bigger role at this point. Some of the blame for Hyatt's lack of production in an 8-catch season from last fall can be attributed to the Giants' struggles at quarterback, with four different players getting snaps at the position. The lack of a vertical game within the offense took away Hyatt's greatest strength, forcing him to do a lot of watching and waiting from the sideline.
Now, with Mr. Moon Ball in Wilson set to start the season as QB1 and rookie Jaxson Dart also unafraid to push the ball upfield, Hyatt has his best chance yet to turn this around.
Hyatt has wanted to send a message every time he steps on the field. No one wants to be labeled a one-trick pony, and Hyatt was essentially called that during the draft process by those who seemingly tried to use his speed as some fatal flaw within his skill set, claiming he could run fast and, well, that's about it.
Before Saturday night, the conversation surrounding Hyatt had gone from projecting his potential impact on this offense to the unknown of where he stood in the quest to make the team. This guessing game regarding Hyatt's future with the Giants and whether he is actually fighting for a roster spot is all over the place.
“Jalin Hyatt, he’s a guy who was a super-high draft pick, he’s so talented and he’s got so much ability and I think he’s going to really shine for us,” Wilson said. “I think he hasn’t done what he’s wanted to do yet, but I think part of that is just the dialogue between me and him is so close, and just all the communication that really showed up in the offseason.”
But Hyatt's inability to show other parts of his game last season, all the while with Darius Slayton proving to be more reliable, essentially turned the former into somewhat of an afterthought.
Slayton earned a contract extension this offseason, while Hyatt's name was bandied about in trade speculation this offseason. It's hard seeing much value on the market in his body of work at the moment. The challenge to prove he still has a role here moving forward continues.
The Giants traded up 16 spots to select Hyatt in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and from the moment he got here, the challenge was accepted. They believed his elite speed - not just vertically, but his short area quickness - would take the top off defenses and put cornerbacks on their heels.
The presence of Hyatt was supposed to hold the key to changing the look of how the Giants could threaten defenses, but the offense did not come together the way anyone anticipated or hoped.
A year later, the Giants drafted Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick and he wound up doing just that.
Nabers, Slayton and Wan'Dale Robinson are set up to be the starters in three-receiver sets. Hyatt has spent months as the perceived next man up with a chance to earn his chances.
Only Hyatt can make sure the Giants don't change their minds.
"Just being out there and getting that first catch with Russ, it felt good," Hyatt said. "For me, I was known as a deep threat receiver, and I told Kaf [assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka], and Dabs [head coach Brian Daboll], this offseason that I wanted to be a complete receiver. I can do the overs. I can do the [comebacks]. And they allowed me to do that [in spring workouts], and early in camp. I want to keep proving myself and show that I can be the player they expect them to be."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Jalin Hyatt: Can one catch alter his New York Giants career?
Category: Football
