Jalin Hyatt Scouting Report and NFL Draft Profile

Jalin Hyatt Scouting Report Measurements

40-Yard Dash Time – 4.29

6’0” / 180 lbs.

Jalin Hyatt Draft Profile

Jalin Hyatt is a former 4-star recruit out of Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, South Carolina. According to his 247sports recruiting profile, he was the 3rd best player out of the state of South Carolina in the 2020 recruiting class. He was also ranked as the 19th-best wide receiver in the nation. Many of these prospects went on to be top wide receivers in the 2023 NFL Draft class. Throughout his career at Dutch Fork, he drew attention from 18 Division I programs, but only 16 offered him a scholarship. Some of these programs are Michigan, Penn St, Miami, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee. In July of 2019, Hyatt committed to Tennessee before visiting the campus. But, it is safe to say he made the right decision considering he is the 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner.

Prior to the 2022 season, Hyatt was not very productive. According to ESPN, he only had 20 receptions for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns as a freshman. These stats aren’t bad for a true freshman but were far from what he is capable of. This was the same story for his sophomore season. During the 2021 season, he only had 21 receptions for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns. After having these back-to-back below-average seasons, his odds of making the NFL were slim. But this season is when he showed that he can compete at the next level. So far this season, he has 67 receptions for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Strengths

Athleticism

Jalin Hyatt is arguably the best athlete at the wide receiver position in the nation. He is very light on his feet and that allows him to accelerate quickly up the field. He is also very good at changing directions quickly due to his ability to sink his hips and burst in another direction. Both of these skills allow him to manipulate a DB’s hips which gives him leverage when he breaks in his routes. When he gets the ball in his hands, he is very difficult to bring down. This is due to his ability to separate from the defense down the field and elude any defenders.

Separation Quickness

As I just briefly mentioned, Hyatt is very good at separating from the defense in the 2nd level. When lined up against man coverage, Hyatt is almost impossible to stop. He often does a double move at the line which forces the DB’s hips to turn in the opposite direction. Then, he quickly accelerates up the field for a wide-open catch. Once he gets the ball, the defense tries to collapse on him but by the time they do, he is in the endzone. He shows very good separation quickness regardless of the route that he runs. On short-intermediate routes, he separates from defenders using his lateral agility and foot speed. On deep routes, he leaves the secondary in the dust using his elite speed.

Hands

Hyatt is good at tracking deep balls down the field over his shoulder. He does a good job of adjusting his route to make sure that every deep pass is perfectly in his bread basket. When the ball gets to him, he shows that he has soft hands and ensures the ball doesn’t bounce off his hands. He is also very gifted at staying concentrated when making a catch, ensuring he has the ball before he makes a move. Although he shows that he has soft hands on deep throws, he also displays his strong hands when catching bullet passes.

Yards After Catch

As I mentioned earlier, Hyatt is good at racking up yards after the catch. He is an elite athlete that can take the ball to the house every time it is thrown to him. His ability to use his athleticism to quickly get upfield is very impressive and is often good enough to make defenders miss. But, if a defender does close out on him, he shows that he has good lateral agility that allows him to elude defenders.

Weaknesses

Thin Frame

The biggest concern that I have about Jalin Hyatt is his thin frame. Hyatt has a thin upper and lower body that hinders his ability to be unpredictable when running his routes. When he is lined up opposite of press man coverage, he is marginal at shedding the coverage. This is due to him being forced to use his power or lack thereof. When he is forced to use his power at the line of scrimmage, he is often taken out of plays.

Play Strength

As I mentioned above, Hyatt’s thin frame hinders his ability to be physical during his route stem. But, his lack of strength limits his game in many other ways as well. The biggest concern that I have is his ability to be physical at the catch point. In order to be an effective receiver in the NFL, you must have the ability to make contested catches. Unfortunately for Hyatt, his lack of play strength prevents him from being a threat in contested areas.

Jalin Hyatt Draft Stock

Although Jalen Hyatt won the Biletnikoff Award, I don’t believe he is a 1st round talent. He has all of the natural ball skills that you would like from a receiver in the NFL. But given his lack of size, I would take him toward the beginning of the 2nd round.

Final Thoughts on Jalin Hyatt

Overall, Jalin Hyatt is a very special talent at the wide receiver position. He is an elite athlete that can get open easily due to his quickness, lateral agility, and ability to change direction quickly. When he gets the ball in his hands, he is almost impossible to catch. That is the primary reason why he has had 15 touchdowns so far this season. In conclusion, Hyatt is a very gifted receiver that will likely be the first receiver taken on day 2 of the draft. His incredible athleticism will allow him to mold into whatever position his team needs him to.