The New York Giants have an intriguing group of young, talented players for their next head coach. They have a franchise rookie quarterback, a bookend left tackle, a stud No. 1 wide receiver, some interesting defensive pieces, and a handful of other young building blocks.
One player who isn't one of those blocks is Jalin Hyatt. The 24-year-old just hasn't remotely flashed anything close to his Biletnikoff Award-winning season with Tennessee as a Junior in 2022.
It's been the exact opposite. Hyatt's career numbers look more like a five-game stretch for some receivers, rather than 40 games' worth of production. The former Volunteer standout has 36 receptions and 470 yards through two-plus seasons. Making matters worse, through 13 games, the 2023 third-round pick hasn't even seen a snap in five of them, including no field time in each of the past two contests.
The writing is on the wall.
Jalin Hyatt's Giants tenure is trending towards unceremonious end
It's not even the lack of production that's the most concerning part. It's his lack of effort and urgency that's setting off every alarm bell. Giants running back legend Tiki Barber called him out for not playing football like a receiver who wants the ball. It doesn't get much worse than that.
Backup quarterback Jameis Winston has more career touchdown receptions than Big Blue's third-year wide receiver. For reference, Famous Jameis has one. If that isn't the biggest indictment of Hyatt's professional career so far, I don't know what is.
The frustrating part about Hyatt remaining on the 53-man roster is that he's taking up a spot that could go to someone who wants to make the most of their NFL opportunity. General manager Joe Schoen, unfortunately, doesn't have the stomach or the mental fortitude to accept he's a lost cause in East Rutherford.
The speedster will be one of the biggest 'what-ifs' during Schoen's tenure. This certainly isn't going how anyone was hoping for when they drafted him.
Schoen swung a 2023 Draft-day trade with the Los Angeles Rams to move up to the 73rd pick to make the selection. It'd be embarrassing for the 46-year-old to essentially admit he was dead wrong. But what's worse is knowing this and doing nothing about it.
With each passing week, it's becoming clearer and clearer Hyatt is no longer a part of this team's present or future. How many more games can he sit and not play? Coming to terms with that reality will help push this team in the right direction -- something it desperately needs.
Giants fans can bet that if Schoen gets the boot after the season, NY's next GM is going to do a roster purge of the guys taking up space for someone else who can legitimately contribute. The third-year receiver is on borrowed time.