In addition to his pinpoint passing during his preseason debut this summer, quarterback Daniel Jones also proved to be prescient while on the sideline as he listened and heard the play-call from Mike Kafka, the Giants’ offensive coordinator.
Jones’ work for the evening was complete and he anticipated what would happen on the field with his backup, Tyrod Taylor, in the game, and rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt the intended target.
“Yeah, I thought there was a good chance if we got a certain coverage that we did end up getting and letting him use his speed and go get it,’’ Jones said.
Bingo.
Taylor was leveled by Panthers linebacker Deion Jones, but was not deterred and got plenty of air under a pass that hit Hyatt, in stride, in the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown connection Friday night in the Giants’ 21-19 victory at MetLife Stadium.
The growing anticipation is that Hyatt will repeat that kind of long-range assault on opposing defenses often enough this season — with Jones making the throws — to ensure the rookie goes down as an NFL draft steal as a third-round pick.
“Well, look, I mean, we ran him on a bunch of short routes, we got him on that big route and we’re just trying to help him be a better receiver,’’ head coach Brian Daboll said. “So, you know, we ask him to do quite a bit of stuff. He runs a variety of routes: short, intermediate, deep. But again, he’s a young player like the other rookies we have, we just try to bring them along and try to put them in good positions.’’
Daboll prefers the deadpan approach with rookies — scant praise before its time.
There is no doubt, though, the entire Giants operation is brimming with excitement about what Hyatt might be able to provide to an attack that was last in the league last season in pass plays of 20 or more yards.
The knock on Hyatt, even though he was named the 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner as college football’s top wide receiver, is that he was something of a one-trick pony at Tennessee, adept at running deep routes and not much else.
The Giants certainly acknowledge the speed element in Hyatt’s game, but view him as capable of developing into a complete receiver.
“I think if we had major concerns he wouldn’t be here,” receivers coach Mike Groh said.
There has already been a need for Hyatt to show some resiliency.
His only reception in his preseason debut in Detroit went for a 4-yard loss.
The only glitch Friday on the Giants’ opening 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive against the Panthers was a behind-the-line shovel pass from Jones to Hyatt that lost 3 yards.
In the second quarter, Hyatt broke open down the field on what should have been a sizable chunk of yards.
Taylor hit Hyatt in the hands with a pass, but the rookie dropped the ball inside the Carolina 15-yard line.
“As a receiver, when the ball touches our hands, we want to catch everything,” Hyatt said. “I believe I can catch any ball that comes to me. When you have a play like that and I don’t come up with it, it’s always the next-play mentality. That’s what they’ve been teaching me.”
Here is where the teaching has taken hold. Daboll was all-in on Kafka giving Hyatt a shot on the very next play.
“Good next-play mentality, positive approach,’’ Daboll said. “Again, much like all the other rookies, we’re still chopping the wood here.’’
Hyatt, lined up in the slot, had a free run and then used an in-cut — faking a post route — to completely free himself of safety Eric Rowe. Taylor placed the ball and the Giants had a touchdown.
That sort of result will persuade
Daboll and Kafka to keep going at Hyatt.
“That’s what you want to try to do, particularly with young guys,’’ Daboll said. “You know there’s going to be bad plays. So to kind of encourage that next-play mentality, it’s particularly, I would say in these preseason games, it’s good if you can go right back to them if the coverage is what it is and the quarterback is supposed to throw it there, you don’t want to force it, but that was planned, you know, he had that drop and then we went right back to him and he made a nice play.’’
