Giants' Jalin Hyatt, Wan'Dale Robinson learning and growing together

Jalin Hyatt came to the Giants with blazing speed. But that alone would not enable the rookie wide receiver to play on game days.

Hyatt’s confidence has risen since he arrived as the Giants’ third-round draft pick in April, and his opportunities, initially few, have started to reach change-the-game status.

Hyatt has had to earn it, and he has.

He is likely to match up against Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner on Sunday when the Jets and Giants square off at MetLife Stadium. It’s a matchup that could change the game.

In the preseason, Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor surprised Gardner by targeting him on two throws to Hyatt. One pass went out of bounds and the other was broken up. Nothing should come as a surprise Sunday.

In each of the past two years, the Giants have drafted a wide receiver they believed had promise. Last year, it was Wan’Dale Robinson out of Kentucky; this year it was Hyatt from Tennessee. Hyatt refers to Robinson as his “SEC brother.”

A year ago, receivers coach Mike Groh devoted time to Robinson, whose rookie season was cut short by a ACL tear but is back making plays.

This year, Groh sets aside time for Hyatt.

“There is a lot of one-on-one time,” Groh said. “The goal for [Robinson and Hyatt] isn’t any different than it is for all of the receivers. It’s to know what to do, how we’re doing it and why we’re doing it that way.”

Clearly, Hyatt has gained the trust of the coaching staff as the season has gone along.

According to The Football Guys website, which tracks player participation numbers, only Darius Slayton has more snaps this season than Hyatt among Giants receivers. In the past two games, Hyatt has played at least 70% of the snaps.

No effort by Hyatt has been better than his toe-touch catch at the boundary line against Washington last week. The play was challenged but stood. Hyatt clearly got both feet in and he knew it.

“That was a heck of a play,’’ Groh said. “He made two really good catches in tight coverage for us. And those are the things he was brought here to do.”

Said Taylor, “Obviously, I trusted him to be able to go up and make a play. I’ve said it since the first time I saw him, he has strong hands and he tracks the ball well. He proved it on that play. And there was no second-guessing by him [that he got both feet down].”

“We’ve seen some very positive things from him,” Groh added. “A lot of being a rookie is gaining that confidence. Confidence is a result of demonstrated performance. You got to get out there, perform when your number’s called, catch the ball when the ball comes to you and keep stacking plays. That’s where the confidence really grows.”

As Groh told Robinson last year and reiterates to Hyatt now: “There’s no shortcuts in this league. You got to put a lot of time in, not only when you’re required to be here but when you’re on your own.”

Groh has no concerns about that.

“I think Jalin has done a really good job with that, as has Wan’Dale,” Groh said. “And I think our guys as a [receivers] group have done a good job of that.”

Groh has been a coach since joining the Jets’ staff in 2000. This is his second season with the Giants under coach Brian Daboll.

“We try to share information in our [receivers] room,” Groh said. “I don’t stand up and lecture.”

The two young receivers complement each other.

“There was a catch I had [against Washington] where we were both lined up on the same side,” Robinson said. “[Hyatt] ran the cleanup route and I had so much room underneath. He cleared it out.”

It works the other way, too, Robinson said.

“He’s still learning and I’m still learning,” Robinson said. “It’s nice for us to both continue to learn and go out and make plays.”

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka has liked what he’s seen from Robinson and Hyatt. They have shown they deserve more playing time and they are getting it. They also are supported by their teammates.

“There’s great leadership that we have in that room with some of those veteran guys, too,” Kafka said, “and that kind of brings them all together.”

By Kimberly Jones

kimberly.jones@newsday.comkimjonessports

Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.