Tennessee Vols standout lands with Titans in latest 2023 mock draft
The latest 2023 NFL Draft mock draft from CBS Sports has a Tennessee Vols standout heading west to Nashville. CBS Sports has the Tennessee Titans selecting Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt in the first round with the No. 20 overall pick. From CBS Sports: Hyatt wasn't in the first-round conversation heading into the season, but […]
The latest 2023 NFL Draft mock draft from CBS Sports has a Tennessee Vols standout heading west to Nashville.
CBS Sports has the Tennessee Titans selecting Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt in the first round with the No. 20 overall pick.
Hyatt wasn't in the first-round conversation heading into the season, but he's a great example of a player taking advantage of his opportunities, thanks in large part to Hendon Hooker's Heisman Trophy campaign. Hyatt is a bona fide deep threat who consistently stacks defensive backs who have been helpless to do much about it all season.
Hyatt wasn't on the draft radar entering the 2022 season. That's because he caught just 21 passes for 226 yards as a sophomore in 2021.
The South Carolina native, however, rededicated himself to football in the offseason and it's showing on the field this season.
Hyatt has 58 receptions for 1,116 yards and 15 touchdowns through the first 10 games of the season. His performance against Alabama last month — six receptions for 207 yards and five touchdowns — is one of the best games I've ever seen from a wide receiver.
There have been some analysts who have suggested Hyatt could struggle at the next level because they view him as a one-trick pony. That opinion is misguided at best. Yes, Hyatt has elite speed (in the low 4.3 range), but he isn't a guy that just runs fast and that's it. He has a nuance to his game that shows up on film.
In fact, A to Z Sports Film Room's James Foster did a great job earlier this season of showing how Hyatt switches speeds throughout routes to keep defenders off-balance.
The Titans could definitely use a wide receiver — that's been an area of need all season after trading AJ Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles before the season (especially since rookies Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips have battled injuries this season).
Hyatt's game-breaking speed combined with his improved route-running ability will certainly make him an attractive option to teams in the first round.
Featured image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
