How former Vols WR Jalin Hyatt was almost selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt was hoping to be a first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. But instead, Hyatt fell to the third round where was selected with the No. 73 overall pick by the New York Giants. The former Tennessee standout was likely bummed to fall that far in the draft, […]
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt was hoping to be a first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
But instead, Hyatt fell to the third round where was selected with the No. 73 overall pick by the New York Giants.
The former Tennessee standout was likely bummed to fall that far in the draft, but he should take solace in knowing that he was almost a second-round selection.
The Giants wanted Hyatt and Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz in the second round. And they felt confident they'd get at least one of them, though there was some nervousness in New York's draft room when the Chicago Bears jumped in front of the Giants in the second round via a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Chicago, however, took Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, leaving Schmitz and Hyatt on the board.
The Giants decided to roll the dice and take Schmitz, a player New York viewed as a potential day-one NFL starter, with the slight hope that Hyatt would fall to them in the third round.
As Hyatt continued to fall in the third round, Giants head coach Brian Daboll called up Los Angles Rams head coach Sean McVay and facilitated a trade for the No. 73 overall pick, which the Giants used to select Hyatt.
The Giants essentially flipped a coin and decided to take Schmitz over Hyatt in the second round. Daboll, as you can see in the clip above, was going to be happy to land either player. He was over the moon when the Giants landed both.
Hyatt, meanwhile, shouldn't be hurt that he was a third-round pick. He could've very easily been the player selected by the Giants in the second round instead of the other way around (New York might've thought Hyatt had better odds to fall).
The former Vol ended up landing in a great situation. The Giants run an offense that's similar to the offense the Kansas City Chiefs run (Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was previously on the Chiefs' coaching staff). That offense is innovative and has some similar elements as the Tennessee offense that Hyatt played in during his time at UT (such as switch releases with the wide receivers).
Falling to the third round might have been the best thing that could've happened to Hyatt's career.
