The Jets and Giants recently played their preseason battle for New York and it set up for an exciting matchup between Jets All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner and Giants rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.
Hard Knocks sneak peak of the Sauce Gardner vs Jalin Hyatt matchup during the #Jets–#Giants game.
Sauce: "What the f–k are you doing?" pic.twitter.com/RAATw2Sqkthttps://t.co/mp4vyIOZNx
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 28, 2023
Hyatt showed off his footwork and speed by creating separation on an elite corner of Gardner’s caliber but it still wasn’t enough. Gardner did a great job of recovering and locating the ball in the air to deflect the pass.
The Giants drafted Hyatt in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft when he surprisingly slid to them that late in the draft after being projected to go as early as the first round by some analysts.
Hyatt had a standout season in his junior year at the University of Tennessee. He caught 67 passes for 1,267 receiving yards while scoring 15 touchdowns en route to earning All-American honors.
Gardner was drafted with the No. 4 overall selection of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Jets and immediately cemented himself as arguably the league’s best cornerback. As a rookie, he earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors while being voted 2022 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Gardner and the Jets defeated the Giants 32-24 in the preseason showdown but the Giants will have a shot at redemption in Week 8, when they will host the Jets for a regular season meeting.
