Comment from Giants HC Brian Daboll about Jalin Hyatt should end the narrative about Vols' offense
Tennessee Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt was drafted in the third round (No. 73 overall) by the New York Giants. Hyatt, who won the Biletnikoff Award in 2022 after setting a Tennessee record with 15 receiving touchdowns, was predicted to be a late first-round pick or an early second-round pick. The South Carolina native slipped […]
Tennessee Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt was drafted in the third round (No. 73 overall) by the New York Giants.
Hyatt, who won the Biletnikoff Award in 2022 after setting a Tennessee record with 15 receiving touchdowns, was predicted to be a late first-round pick or an early second-round pick.
The South Carolina native slipped to the third round due to concerns about his size (he played at less than 180 lbs last season) and the offense he played in at Tennessee.
Several draft analysts questioned Hyatt's ability to run NFL routes due to the "simplified" offense he played in at UT. Many of Hyatt's routes with the Vols were deep choice routes where he had to read the leverage of the defender and make his move/cut based on how he was being defended. Hyatt and the quarterback had to be on the same page to make it work (and it worked a lot in 2022 as the Vols led the nation in scoring).
I'm not an X's and O's savant, but I would think that Hyatt's ability to adapt his route on the fly based on the coverage of the defense would be a positive. Does it matter if it's a preplanned route or not? The goal is to get open and Hyatt managed to get open quite often last season (I'm sure the X's and O's guys are rolling their eyes at that take).
It turns out that some of the routes Hyatt ran at Tennessee are also used by the Giants.
“I think he runs some of the routes that we run (in New York),” said Daboll after Hyatt was selected. “You can see, a little bit like Gabe (Davis), how it might translate. He has qualities you like when you're watching him.”
Daboll coached Gabe Davis, a former UCF wide receiver under Josh Heupel, during his time as the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator, so he's very familiar with players from a system like the one at Tennessee. And he clearly felt comfortable bringing in another former Heupel-coached wide receiver.
Maybe that will put an end to the narrative that caused several former Vols (Hyatt, Cedric Tillman, and Hendon Hooker) to fall to the third round. It won't help the Tennessee players that were drafted this year, but it could help future Vols get selected earlier in the draft.
