Draft Analysis: Jalin Hyatt

February 2, 2023 /
  • Height: 6’0″
  • Weight: 176 lb
  • College: Tennessee
  • Tape watched: Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, LSU
  • College Comparison: Will Fuller

Pros

  • Speed
    Jalin Hyatt has the potential to showcase near-historic speed at the combine. He devours space with sprinter strides. For anyone that doesn’t believe in his speed, his Alabama tape and his 10.46s 100m high school time are evidence enough.
  • Route Running
    Hyatt was asked to run a lot of choice, switch release, and double-move routes at Tennessee. He thrived by finding defenders’ blind spots, and bursting out of his route breaks. He is a receiver that loses little to no speed breaking off routes. His vertical route paired with his hitch break will be one of his early calling cards in the NFL. He snaps off his stem so well, and works back to the football.
A route Hyatt probably wants back. His stem doesn’t move the defender from his inside shade. He also drifts upfield to a ball that is probably facemask height at the line to gain.
  • Release
    Though Hyatt was not asked to face press coverage often at Tennessee, he showed skills that can transition to the next level. Much like his play speed, Hyatt possesses great explosiveness off the line of scrimmage. Tennessee used Hyatt almost exclusively as a slot receiver that often was the back man in a stack formation. Hyatt accelerates so quickly, slot defenders will give up too much space on crossing routes, with the major threat of being beat downfield. If Tennessee found easy ways for clean releases, an NFL OC should too.
Hyatt has a nice jab and pop off this press release. For a slighter frame receiver, this is encouraging to see.

Midline

  • Hands
    Hyatt was a sure handed receiver for most of his Tennessee career. He had a few drops this past season, but nothing that raises real concerns. He has shown the ability to track and make contested catches. He doesn’t have dominant hands that stand out, but he is more than adequate for the NFL.

Cons

  • Frame
    Hyatt stands a reported six foot tall and 177 pounds, and he carries that in a wiry frame. With a very thin lower body, injury concerns are always present at the receiver position, and Hyatt had a laundry list of ailments in college. He does not invite contact, and rarely fights for extra yardage.
  • Playmaking
    Jalin Hyatt does not have short space agility. He shows stiffer hips and the inability to make most defenders miss. He does not break many tackles.
  • Blocking
    Not much to write about for Hyatt and blocking. This is not something that should be a major concern for his player profile, however.

Overview

The difference between Jalin Hyatt being a day one to day two pick may very well be based on roughly four seconds in March. If he can run a sub 4.4, or even sub 4.3 40-yard dash, it should be expected to hear his name in the first round. Hyatt has the IT factor to pair with elite speed. He helped lead Tennessee to their first win against Alabama in 17 years with six catches, 207 yards, and five touchdowns. He will not make plays with the football, but if no one is around him when he catches it, does it matter? Speed will always be coveted, and teams will always take chances on it. Hyatt is nearly a clone of Mike Wallace at Ole Miss. If he can develop and add weight like Wallace did in the NFL, he will be special.