The New York Giants are trying to follow up their successful 2022 campaign which ended up with them in the playoffs.
Despite the trip to the playoffs, it is still a long-term build for general manager Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll. The expectations are not to be a Super Bowl contender this season, but make some progress towards competing with the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.
Schoen brought in some interesting players through free agency, trades and the draft. With the preseason underway for the Giants, we have an idea of players who's stock are going up. Whether that be rookies or veterans on the Giants' roster, through reports in training camp and the first preseason game, we have an idea of what types of roles those players will be in compared to what they were expected to do before training camp started.
Let's get into the three players on the Giants' roster with skyrocketing stock this preseason.
Jalin Hyatt, WR
The Giants selected Jalin Hyatt out of Tennessee in the third round of the NFL Draft. His biggest strength is speed, and although he did not do much in the preseason game against the Detroit Lions, Jalin Hyatt has flashed his potential throughout training camp.
The speed has shown up, he has the ability to take the top off of a defense. That does not surprise anyone who watched Jalin Hyatt in college. However, the biggest takeaway from Hyatt's training camp performance is what makes his stock go up even more.
The concern with Hyatt coming out of the draft was his ability to run routes. In training camp, Hyatt has proven that the threat of his speed can be used to get him in open space on underneath routes, especially curls. Hyatt might not start early on, but the potential is there and you can see why the Giants traded up for him to get him on their roster.
Darren Waller, TE
Darren Waller is arguably the biggest addition for the Giants this offseason. They traded a compensatory pick to the Las Vegas Raiders to get him.
Fans who have paid attention to the NFL in recent years know that Darren Waller is a dangerous weapon. The concern over the last two seasons has been staying on the field. He played in nine games last season, according to Pro Football Reference. That concern still is there, but Darren Waller has shown throughout training camp practices that he is still an elite weapon when on the field. Daniel Jones has targeted him the most out of anyone, and completed more passes to him than anyone else throughout camp.
The Giants are trying to become more explosive on offense. Darren Waller should provide that, and the chemistry he seems to be building with Jones is a good sign. He could be a great addition to the Giants' roster this season.
Tre Hawkins III, CB
The Giants selected cornerback Tre Hawkins III out of Old Dominion in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, and despite being a sixth-round pick, he has consistently been getting first team reps throughout camp.
Hawkins III is someone who has the athleticism to make it in the NFL, and it is about playing with the right technique. It seems that he is coming along fast. After the first couple of training camp practices, Hawkins III has almost exclusively been practicing with the first team, and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale confirmed that he is performing well.
Fellow rookie cornerback Deonte Banks is ahead of Hawkins III on the depth chart, and so is veteran Adoree' Jackson, however, it appears Hawkins is going to be one of the three starting corners in the regular season.
The Giants have had trouble with the slot corner position throughout camp. Both Darnay Holmes and Cor'Dale Flott have struggled in camp. The team has tried moving Jackson into the slot at times. That makes room for Hawkins III to play on the outside on the opposite side of Banks.
It will be worth monitoring how Hawkins III plays in the last two preseason games. It seems like he is in line to start when the regular season coms.
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