Not since the days of receiver Odell Beckham Jr has a New York Giants receiver generated as much buzz and excitement as Jalin Hyatt.
Hyatt, the team's third-round draft pick this year who chose Beckham's No. 13 as his long-term jersey number, got off to a slow start in the regular season in that he wasn't targeted much in the team's first five games in which he drew just five targets of which he caught four for 99 yards.
"Yeah, preseason was fast for me," Hyatt said when asked if the game has finally slowed down for him. "Everybody's running to the ball way faster than college, and, you know, it took a little time for me to adjust, but I feel very good about the game speed now."
It's shown. Hyatt has seen a sharp uptick in his game snaps over these last two weeks, playing in at least 71 percent of the total offensive snaps. And the quarterback has started looking for him more on routes--in the last two weeks, Hyatt has been targeted nine times, catching five balls for 96 yards.
Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who's been under center during the past two games in which Hyatt has started to emerge, said he's noticed a positive change in the rookie's demeanor.
"Just confidence overall. Not that he lacked it before, but when you make as many plays as he’s made throughout this season and the past couple of weeks, and generally throughout the season, the confidence builds," Taylor said.
Hyatt agreed with Taylor's assessment, adding, "I feel more comfortable. I got plays down. Coaches are starting to trust in me, but I feel very comfortable just in what we're doing and trying to do."
Related: New York Giants Week 8 Storylines
Taylor, a 13-year veteran, echoed what head coach Brian Daboll has said about Hyatt and rookie receivers in general: that it's not always easy to transition from college to the NFL, given the intricacies of the NFL game.
But those who make it are those willing to put in the time and work, and that's exactly what Hyatt has been more than willing to do, whether it's staying after practice to get in a few extra reps or gluing himself to receivers coach Mike Groh, veteran receiver Sterling Shepard, or either of quarterbacks Taylor and Daniel Jones to soak up as much knowledge as he can to help improve his game.
"Yeah, I think he's done a great job," Taylor said. "I can't put myself in his shoes because I can't run that fast. But obviously, just taking on a new offense coming from college, playing against the speed of the guys in the NFL, he's competed at a high level. He's made a bunch of contested catches."
Hyatt recognizes that this success thus far is a drop in the bucket to what he could offer the team. To that end, he has one specific goal in mind in these remaining weeks of the 2023 campaign.
"To show I'm a complete player, a complete receiver," he said with a smile. "You just can't go deep all day. I wanna show that I can do everything-- slants, in-cuts, out routes- just everything the elite guys do. That's, that's the level I want to play at, so I gotta continue to work."
Taylor is one of many on the team rooting for Hyatt's continued development and ability to reach that goal. But he also notes that as the rookie continues to make those eye-opening plays, things will get tougher for him.
"As he continues to keep improving, he also has to understand that defenses are going to treat him a certain way," Taylor said, adding that they'll keep leaning on Hyatt in the offense moving forward. "So just continue to keep growing within himself. I think he's done a great job of it, and we’re going to need him to continue to keep doing so."
More must-reads: