Titans Draft Spotlight: Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt
Jalin Hyatt is the ultimate big-play threat with the game changing speed that the Titans are looking for in the 2023 NFL Draft. Hyatt's 2022 season for the Tennessee Volunteers included 67 catches, 1,267 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns. He won the Biletnikoff Award as the best wide receiver in college football, and it's not hard to […]
Jalin Hyatt is the ultimate big-play threat with the game changing speed that the Titans are looking for in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Hyatt's 2022 season for the Tennessee Volunteers included 67 catches, 1,267 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns. He won the Biletnikoff Award as the best wide receiver in college football, and it's not hard to see why.
Hyatt led college football in yards per route run (3.28) and passer rating when targeted.
The calling card of Hyatt's game is his speed. His acceleration upfield and smooth transitions make him a talented deep route runner with the ability to separate. Hyatt has a good catch radius and is a playmaker with the ball in his hands. In 2022, Hyatt ranked 3rd amongst Power Five wide receivers in yards after catch per reception (8.0).
Perhaps the biggest concern regarding Hyatt's transition to the NFL is the limited route tree he ran at Tennessee. 87.3 percent of Hyatt's collegiate snaps came in the slot. He has almost no experience against press man coverage, and NFL defenses will be far less friendly than the busted coverages he saw with the Volunteers.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is an example of one slot receiver making the transition outside at the next level look easy. Hyatt (6'0", 176 pounds) is a bit smaller than Jefferson (6'1", 195 pounds), but even if he wasn't, it goes without saying that not everybody is Justin Jefferson and there are plenty of receivers who failed to make the transition work and never saw the same production.
Opposite of Treylon Burks in the Titans offense, Hyatt would certainly give Mike Vrabel the speed and big-play ability he is after. He would also open things up even further for Derrick Henry and the Titans' run game.
“When you have someone who can run like Hyatt, you get explosive catches, but it also really benefits your running game because safeties can’t get involved as much," one NFC Director of scouting told NFL.com.
It wouldn't be a huge surprise if a team took a chance on Hyatt in the first round, but he is most commonly viewed as an early second round selection. With the speed he brings to the table and his ability to exploits cushions in an opposing defense, Hyatt's upside is off the charts. The Titans should be all over him if he's still on the board at 41.
