Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt has had a tough start to his NFL career.

Hyatt, a third round selection by the New York Giants in the 2023 NFL Draft, had a promising rookie season, catching 23 passes for 373 yards while playing on a team that started three different quarterbacks (Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito, and Tyrod Taylor).

Unfortunately for Hyatt, the last two seasons have been full of adversity, as the former Vol was listed as a healthy inactive multiple times for the Giants in 2025.

Hyatt has just 13 receptions for 97 yards since the start of the 2024 season.

The Athletic makes strong statement about Jalin Hyatt that doesn’t bode well for his NFL future

Hyatt is entering the final season of his rookie contact. It’s possible the Giants could move on from Hyatt his offseason, but he’s not taking up a significant amount of cap space, so there’s no real benefit to cutting the former Vol before the 2026 season.

The Athletic’s Dan Duggan thinks Hyatt will get a chance to prove himself with the Giants’ new coaching staff.

Duggan, however, doesn’t think Hyatt can turn his NFL career around.

“Hyatt should get a last gasp with a new coaching staff, if for no other reason than he’s cheap ($1.8 million cap hit),” wrote Duggan. “But there has been nothing to indicate the 2023 third-round pick is capable of turning around his career. Hyatt has had prime opportunities to step into enhanced roles the past two seasons and he has totaled just 13 catches for 97 yards in 24 games.”

There’s no denying that it’s been a brutal couple of seasons for Hyatt. But I don’t think it’s fair to suggest that he can’t turn his career around. The South Carolina native is still just 24 years old (there are quite a few 24 year olds still playing college football). Development, as we all know, isn’t linear. Everyone’s journey is different. Hyatt has elite speed, and he won the Biletnikoff Award while playing against tough SEC competition in 2022 (you know, back when the SEC was still the king of college football). He knows how to play wide receiver at a high level.

Ultimately, I think Hyatt just needs a fresh start. Maybe the new coaching staff in New York can help unlock his talent. Or maybe he needs to land somewhere else. Either way, I’m not ready to write Jalin Hyatt off just yet.

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