Should Jalin Hyatt be WR1 in the 2023 Draft Class?

First Round Mock NFL Draft Analyst Ken Becks recognizes the smokin’ speed and big reputation Tennessee’s wide receiver Jalin Hyatt has, but in the end all that matters is what he put on the game film.

#11 Jalin Hyatt

POSITION: Wide Receiver (WR)
SCHOOL: Tennessee
HEIGHT: 6-0
WEIGHT: 185

Evaluated Games:

Alabama ’22

UT Martin ’22

Kentucky ’22

Georgia ’22

Missouri ’22

Strengths

Hyatt has the kind of speed where he can take it to the house

He gets on top of defenders quickly, which forces them to make split-second decisions.

If they make the wrong one – – there he goes!

In terms of route running, Hyatt is an efficient and crisp route runner in space. This makes him even more difficult to deal with in the open field versus defenders.

He’s an effective hands catcher when facing the quarterback.

Weaknesses

Hyatt appears to be more of an athlete in cleats, rather than a true all-around football player

What do I mean by that?

He lacks the overall complete skill set to consider ranking him as an elite prospect at the the position of wide receiver.

Hyatt needs to add strength and size to his build to truly reach his full potential in the NFL, which makes him somewhat of a project.

It also drops his draft value.

Where are the successfully contested catches versus defenders on a consistent basis?

Where on game film is his tenacity and competitive nature when fighting for passes?

How about his ability to locate and consistently bring in passes downfield thrown outside the normal target area with his questionable catch radius?

The reality is Hyatt is more of a one-dimensional straight-line downfield speed threat

Why aren’t people talking about how he shows that he lacks the instinctive creativity to make things happen on underneath passes to gain additional hidden yardage?

Where’s the consistent ability to pick up YAC (yardage-after-catch), especially after contact?

2023 NFL Draft Prospect Value

Third-Round (Mid)

Scouting Report Summary

Hyatt is a knockoff imitation of Dolphins’ receiver Will Fuller (2016 first-round pick). Though Fuller is/was considered more of a one-dimensional outside-the-hashes performer, he did flash the ability to play inside the hashes when needed, unlike Hyatt.

It is VITAL that Hyatt goes to the right offensive system that can properly utilize his skill set. There is no question he has speed and athleticism. However, whoever takes him will have to have patience with him on his deficiencies or he will be added to a long list of busts at the position!

To be honest, I may have been quite generous with my draft grade, considering there are more questions than answers about his game. He comes off more as a developmental project.

Ken Becks [TheScout] has been covering & scouting NFL prospects for over 30 years! Ken has worked with the Indoor Football Scouting Bureau and he’s been mentioned in publications such as Scout.com, ABCNews.com, and TheNewsStar.com. He covers the NFL Draft for FirstRoundMock.com and he is the founder and Director of 1stDownScouting.com. Follow him @1stdown_scout on Twitter.