Young Giants receiver Jalin Hyatt ‘flexes’ new pumped-up physique

There are all sorts of physical specimens in the Giants’ weight room pushing around what seems to be extreme tonnage.

There are mirrors for those interested in seeing what their pumped-up body looks like.

And there is also lithe Jalin Hyatt, who is feeling frisky enough to put on display something he was not comfortable showcasing as a rookie last year.

“He’s always flexing for me,” wide receivers coach Mike Groh said. “He’s giving me one of these [mimics a bodybuilder showing off] and I’m like, ‘I see you buddy.’ ”

Guilty as charged — with an explanation.

“Multiple times,” Hyatt said Thursday after an organized team activity practice. “He always sees me when I’m in the weight room. I’m all energetic and ready to go.”

Hyatt looks at his physique now and declares it is “way better” than it was when he arrived in 2023 as a third-round draft pick out of Tennessee — the Giants traded up from No. 89 overall to No. 73 to get him.

Hyatt came in possessing great speed but not much heft on his 6-foot frame.

Think stick-figure.

He was listed at 185 pounds and if he turned sideways it was easy to wonder where he went.

The offseason roster lists Hyatt at 185 and he certainly has not bulked up to any discernible degree. He said Groh and coach Brian Daboll after the 2023 season instructed him to get bigger and stronger.

“That was one of the things I wanted to improve on,” Hyatt said. “Playing on the outside, you’re going to get more press coverage and more body-to-body catches. So just getting bigger, getting strong with my catch point, getting stronger with my hands, and so far everything is working.’’

He has put on weight, he insists, but will not reveal how much.

“Can’t say it yet,” Hyatt said.

The Giants in this year’s NFL Draft selected Malik Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick and the expectation is he will be the featured target immediately.

This does not mean the Giants are turning Hyatt aside.

They need the 22-year old to develop within a young group that includes Nabers (20 years old) and Wan’Dale Robinson (23), with Darius Slayton (27) entering his sixth season as the veteran in the room.

Hyatt in Year 1 put on display many of the traits — positive and negative — that scouts saw in him coming out of college.

Great speed.

Long strides.

Reliable hands.

Not enough muscle to work the inside of the field. Not a full grasp of the entire route tree.

He played in all 17 games, with seven starts.

In seven games, he did not have a single catch. In two games, he had two catches. In two games, he had three catches.

In one game, Week 12 against the Patriots, he had five catches and picked up his first and only 100-yard receiving game to gain Offensive Rookie of the Week honors.

Hyatt finished with modest production — 23 receptions for 373 yards — and that he did not manage to get a single touchdown gnaws at him.

It is no wonder Hyatt labeled his NFL debut “disappointing for my rookie year.”

He took to heart the losing and his lack of contribution to what was a shabby passing attack, often appearing downcast after games.

“There’s a lot to learn as a rookie, so he was trying to pick up how we do things here, the playbook,” Daboll said. “I would say this offseason in terms of breaking the huddle, getting aligned, knowing what to do, I think he’s made a tremendous improvement in that area. You can tell he’s been in the system for a year. He’s playing with some confidence in terms of the pre-snap stuff, which allows him to play faster post-snap.”

Meeting extra with Groh, often one-on-one, has helped Hyatt as he attempts to wriggle free of the first-year uncertainty that marked his performance as a rookie.

Being a bit heavier and stronger has added to his self-assurance.

“Brings confidence to myself when I’m on the field knowing I can do it,” Hyatt said. “Helped me improve my game in certain areas as far as this is a hard league; most of your catches are going to be body-to-body. That’s one thing I learned my first year.”

Groh said Hyatt’s growth from one year to now is “tremendous” and labeled him “a different guy.” The Giants hope Hyatt’s spectacular one-handed catch — in the end zone — earlier in the week is a portent.

A year ago, Hyatt expressed his belief that he could be the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. Obviously, he did not come close.

The second time around, he gets to try to show that bigger, however slightly, is better.