Is Jalin Hyatt A Good Fit For The Giants? Fantasy Football Outlook

May 1, 2023

Did the Giants draft Jalin Hyatt? Is Hyatt a good fit for the Giants? What will Hyatt do for your fantasy football team this year?

Former Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt is the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner (college football's most outstanding wide receiver) but he fell to the third round (73rd overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft.

However, he landed with the New York Giants, so in a weak wide receiver room, he could have a chance to carve out a fantasy-friendly role in his 2023 rookie campaign.

Is Hyatt a good fit for the Giants and what can we expect from him as a rookie in fantasy football? Let's dive in.

What Did Jalin Hyatt Accomplish At Tennessee?

In Hyatt's freshman and sophomore seasons combined, he caught just 41 passes for 502 yards and four touchdowns. Tennessee's offense was one of the worst units in the nation in 2020, so his lack of production is understandable. However, the offense took a huge step forward in 2021 under first-year head coach Josh Heupel, but Hyatt didn't produce much. Teammates Cedric Tillman and Velus Jones Jr. were Hendon Hooker's No. 1 and No. 2 options in the passing attack.

That all changed in 2022. As a true junior, Hyatt hauled in 67 passes for 1,267 yards, and 15 touchdowns. His nuclear game came against Alabama in Tennessee's first victory over the Crimson Tide since 2006. Hyatt caught six passes for 207 yards and five touchdowns against Nick Saban's defense.

At the 2023 NFL Combine, Hyatt weighed just 176 pounds and ran a 4.40 forty-yard dash -- when many hoped he'd run a sub 4.4. There were plenty of concerns about how the Tennessee offense would translate to the NFL, which ultimately led to Hyatt, Tillman, and Hooker all falling to round three.

Is Jalin Hyatt A Good Fit For The Giants?

The Giants' wide receiver group consists of Parris Campbell, Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Sterling Shepard. Some of those guys have been productive in short spurts, but none are bonafide studs among NFL receivers.

However, Hyatt falling to round three means he's not guaranteed to be a key piece of the offense right away, but we can assume he'll get the opportunity to compete for playing time.

Ultimately, his real-life value will likely exceed his fantasy value. Hyatt projects as a field-stretcher and chunk-play player rather than a true volume receiver. He will help open up the middle of the field for Shepard, Robinson, and the newly acquired tight end Darren Waller, but it's tough to see a path toward real volume fit for fantasy scoring. Picture him in the Gabriel Davis role in Buffalo, but in an interior offense without an elite quarterback. That's one of his more likely range of outcomes.

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