Best receiver in the draft? Jalin Hyatt certainly thinks so as he preps for NFL moment

Jalin Hyatt didn’t shy away when he was asked about where he stood among the receivers in this year’s NFL Draft.

“I have a lot of respect for a lot of receivers in this draft, but I’m a competitor and I feel like I’m the best wide receiver in this draft,” Hyatt said.

Hyatt made those comments Friday night before he received the S.C. Football Hall of Fame’s Blanchard/Rogers Trophy given to the top collegiate player with South Carolina ties. He was a record-setting receiver at Dutch Fork High School in Irmo before going to Tennessee, where he’s coming off a breakout junior season.

Hyatt won the Biletnikoff Award in December, given to the nation’s top receiver. The Tennessee standout caught 67 passes for 1,267 yards and a nation-best 15 touchdowns.

“It was great competition week in and week out,” Hyatt said. “It was just being consistent and making plays. That is what I do best. That is what I felt like I have done this year.”

During his acceptance speech and when speaking with reporters, Hyatt talked about the “journey” his career has taken him on and the pride he has in coming from the Palmetto State.

That journey continues this week as he’s projected to hear his name called sometime late Thursday night or early Friday evening in this year’s NFL Draft. Hyatt plans to watch the draft in Tennessee, surrounded by friends and family.

Most mock drafts have him going in Friday’s second round. ESPN’s Mel Kiper predicts Hyatt as the No. 39 pick to Carolina Panthers to team up with likely No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.

Former NFL general manager and ESPN analyst Mike Tannebaum is one of the few who have Hyatt as a first-rounder, going at No. 25 to the New York Giants.

“Jalin Hyatt is my #1 Wide Receiver in the draft,” Tannebaum wrote on Twitter last week.

Hyatt said he had pre-draft visits with 10 to 12 teams. Dallas was one of those — he called that “a fun visit” getting to meet Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and other team personnel and players.

Media reports also had Hyatt visiting the Giants, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns.

“Been hearing late first round from there. That is when I am expecting to hear my name,” Hyatt said. “I am not worried about what team. I just want to get there and show out. … Right now I am staying focused in my heart, staying focused on what I am doing, so when I do have the opportunity to play on Sundays I’m ready.”

Dominating at Dutch Fork

Jason Barnes heard the stories, but it wasn’t until a Dutch Fork practice late in Hyatt’s freshman year that he witnessed it for himself.

Barnes, the former South Carolina Gamecocks receiver who was Dutch Fork’s WRs coach at the time, heard how Hyatt was a big-time playmaker in middle school and then on the JV team his freshman year. Hyatt played quarterback, receiver and had the ball in his hands as much as possible. After the JV season wrapped up, Dutch Fork coach Tom Knotts brought his promising freshman up to practice with the varsity.

It was during one of the practices in a 7-on-7 drill that Hyatt put on a show against the team’s first-team defense.

“Jalin was killing them,” Barnes recalled. “It was crazy. I never will forget it. Bobby Irby and some of the older receivers over there were like, ‘JB, he is good and he is next.’ I have been hearing it for years, but that day I saw it first hand.”

Barnes, who is now on Biff Poggi’s staff at Charlotte, formed a special bond with Hyatt and his other receivers. Hyatt always wanted to do extra work, Barnes said, either after practice or on weekends.

The two spent a lot of time together perfecting Hyatt’s craft.

“He always was so coachable and really driven. He wanted to learn and wanted you to be on him hard,” Barnes said. “He wanted to know why he failed and wanted to do right the next time. Didn’t want to watch his highlights. He wanted to know what he was doing wrong and wanted to improve his weaknesses.”

Hyatt had a record-breaking career at Dutch Fork, catching 180 passes for a school-record 3,624 yards and 57 touchdowns. He caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime against Dorman in the 2019 Class 5A championship game at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Hyatt, who won a state title each year he was on varsity, has strong memories of his time with the Silver Foxes.

“It was a great journey with coach Knotts,” Hyatt said. “We all know what a great coach (that) Coach Knotts is, a hall of fame coach. I have a lot of respect for Coach Knotts and what he has done for me and my family, as well as all my coaches that have helped me in my career. I never lost in a state championship game, so the resume speaks for itself.”

Time at Tennessee

Hyatt didn’t make an immediate impact at Tennessee.

He caught 20 passes as a college freshman but didn’t have a great sophomore season in Josh Heupel’s first year coaching with the Vols. He missed a couple games with an injury and was the team’s fourth or fifth option at receiver.

Hyatt came back determined. He put on some weight and got up to 185 pounds, about 20 pounds more than when he arrived at Tennessee. Heupel raved earlier this season about Hyatt’s attention to detail and maturity, which he said started to blossom late in the 2021 season.

Then came the Alabama game in 2022. That’s when Hyatt grabbed everyone’s attention and earned several national accolades. He had six receptions for 207 yards and a school-record five touchdowns in the 52-49 overtime win against the Crimson Tide.

Hyatt’s fifth touchdown tied the game at 49-49 in the fourth quarter.

“I told him my favorite number was five because of his five touchdowns against Alabama. When you scorch Alabama for five touchdowns, you are doing something good,” Knotts said in the fall. “He has the God-given speed and he has worked on his hands, gotten stronger.”

Hyatt also accepted the challenge that Barnes threw out to him before the 2022 season. The two talked during the summer about maintaining focus and about the big opportunity that was ahead of him if he had a big year.

“He didn’t like how things were going. I knew he was going through things in college both on and off the field,” Barnes said. “I always challenged him. I saw this as an opportunity to challenge him again. I challenged him to put down the extracurricular things he was doing for six months. If he could put down those things that weren’t going to help get to the next level for six months, he could change his life forever and do what we talked about him doing since I saw him dominate the varsity defense at the ninth-grade level.

“He did, and that was the difference to changing his life. I’m so proud of him.”

Hyatt declared for the NFL Draft in December shortly after the college season wrapped up. He didn’t play in the Vols’ Orange Bowl game against Clemson but was there on the sidelines with his team.

Hyatt bounced between training in Arizona and Florida to get ready for the NFL Scouting Combine and then his Pro Day at Tennessee. At the combine, he was tops among receivers in the broad jump (11 feet, 3 inches), had the fourth-best vertical leap and sixth-best 40-yard dash (4.40). He messured in at 6-foot and 176 pounds.

“I have been everywhere. It has been a long journey for sure. Definitely been fun,” Hyatt said.

How to watch the 2023 NFL Draft

What: 2023 NFL Draft

When: Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Where: Kansas City, Missouri

Format and channels to watch:

▪ Round 1: Thursday, April 27, at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN, ABC, ESPN App, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network)

▪ Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 28, at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN, ABC, ESPN App, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network)

▪ Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 29, at noon ET (ESPN with ABC simulcast, ESPN App, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network)