EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt was well aware that the clip of himself and Dallas Cowboys wide receivers coach Robert Prince from Tennessee’s Pro Day was making the rounds.
Hyatt has been known for his speed, but he’s been trying to convey his ability to run routes and be versatile. The second-round pick said that he wasn’t bothered by the exchange and he was ready to get things going with the Giants.
“Coaches and — a lot of people have their own opinions on things, and I respect the Cowboys receiver coach, met with him when I went up to one of my 30 visits when I went up there. I have a lot of respect for him, and like I said, that’s in the past now. Draft process is in the past. I’m here with the New York Giants, and I’m just ready to get to work,” Hyatt said following the first day of rookie minicamp.
Ironically it would be the coach of a rival team that made the comment to the would-be Giants draft pick. The Cowboys and Giants have a long history against one another and the two teams will face each other twice a year, which could make things especially interesting for Hyatt.
The rookie tried to downplay any extra motivation that he may have against the Cowboys when he goes against them.
“Any team I go against, that’s going to spark me,” Hyatt said. “I’m in the NFL now, and I’m here with grown men. I can’t wait to just go out there and play. It doesn’t matter what team it is or who we’re facing. I just can’t wait to go out and represent for the Giants and represent for this coaching staff.”
Hyatt has the ability to be a big-play receiver for the Giants, who were in need of one after last season when they were severely limited. The 6-foot-0 receiver had 67 receptions for Tennessee in 2022 for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns. All of which were career highs for the 21-year-old.
However, head coach Brian Daboll isn’t putting to high of expectations on the rookie receiver going into the year.
“It’s a process for some of the new receivers that we just added. It’s probably a little bit of a bigger mountain for the younger players because there’s so much to learn,” Daboll said. “Where things are in the building, how we do things, meetings, how we do things in the training room, and then they have all this information that they have to try to listen to and then go out there and be able to process and use their skill set. It’s a day-by-day process and I don’t have grand expectations for any of these young players because they have such a long way to go, regardless of where they were drafted.
“Just come in, learn how we do things, compete, and if you do that, you beat somebody out then you beat somebody out.”
