The New York Giants have looked much better in recent weeks compared to early on in the 2023 season. Much to the dismay of their fan base, that has resulted in back-to-back wins, giving them a 4-8 record heading into their Week 13 bye.
In a weird coincidence of events, the Giants are now in the race for a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and a Wild Card spot in the NFC. At 4-8, they are only two games behind the 6-6 Minnesota Vikings, who lost to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football to close out Week 12.
While there hasn’t been much to get excited about when it comes to the Giants this season, one player who has started coming on recently is rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. A third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Hyatt possesses elite speed, something general manager Joe Schoen was looking to add more of this offseason.
However, that speed wasn’t always being utilized. Quarterback Daniel Jones rarely took shots downfield because of a mixture of different things. That has not been the case since Tommy DeVito took over as the starting quarterback, as he has no qualms about throwing deep and targeting the electric Hyatt.
In Week 12 against the New England Patriots, Hyatt had the best game of his young career. He set career-highs with five receptions and 109 yards, becoming the first Giants receiver this season to surpass the 100-yard mark in a game.
In the process, he also recorded an excellent PFF grade. According to PFF New York Giants on X, formerly known as Twitter, he earned a 92.0 overall grade, which was the highest mark for a wide receiver in Week 12 and the highest grade of any New York player against the Patriots.
That is hopefully a sign of things to come down the stretch of the season. The Giants coaching staff has to get Hyatt more involved in the game plan offensively as he offers something that no one else on the roster, outside of maybe Darius Slayton, provides.
Rookies normally see an increase in opportunities and production following bye weeks as teams can implement more plays for them. Giants fans can only hope that is the case for Hyatt, who has proven capable of being a big play producer in his limited chances thus far in 2023.
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