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There are all sorts of draft selections, and those that often attract the most accolades for NFL personnel analysts are the ones that hit big in the middle rounds.
Those are considered real “scout picks’’ and separate the good drafters from the great ones.
Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane has collected impressive talent with his draft hauls.
He is credited with a superior mid-round pick, taking wide receiver Gabe Davis in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Davis, out of Central Florida, was considered to be a solid, but not exceptional, prospect and there were concerns about his ability to get open with regularity at the next level.
Davis wrecked those concerns and gave the Bills a quality target for Josh Allen, although with 48 receptions for 836 yards and seven touchdowns, he did not take a big step forward in 2022.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen was Beane’s top assistant in Buffalo and, with a third-round trade-up Friday night to get wide receiver Jalin Hyatt of Tennessee, he may have obtained a Davis-type prize for Daniel Jones.
Schoen reached back into his college touring history to gain intel on Hyatt.
At one point in his career, Schoen was an area scout assigned to the Oklahoma region and developed a relationship with Josh Heupel, at that time the quarterbacks coach for the Sooners.
Heupel moved on to become the head coach at Central Florida, where Davis was doing his thing.
That connection with Heupel helped Schoen help Beane decide to go with Davis in 2020.
“There’s some history there,’’ Schoen said.
Schoen called Heupel, now the head coach at Tennessee, on Friday to get a last reference on Hyatt.
When the third round started and Hyatt was still on the board, Schoen and his staff — and head coach Brian Daboll — began making calls.
The Giants traded up from No. 89 overall to No. 73, sending a fourth-round pick to the Rams to move up 16 spots, and selected Hyatt.
“I’m not sure why he was there, but we feel good about him and glad he was,’’ Schoen said.
It will be trendy to say Schoen “killed it’’ with his work manipulating the draft board on the first two days — he also traded up one spot, from No. 25 to No. 24 overall — to take Deonte Banks, the last remaining cornerback the Giants were considering in the first round.
There is no doubt needs were identified and addressed.
Now it remains to be seen if the players chosen live up to the expectations the Giants have for them.
Hyatt arrived at the team facility Saturday and mixed humbleness and extreme confidence into his introduction.
He said of his ability as a speed receiver, “I get open 24-7.” And he did not sweat dropping into the third round.
“I really believe I’m the best receiver in the draft,’’ he said.
Not long after he heard his name called and learned he was going to the Giants, Hyatt received a succinct text message from Jones, who welcomed the rookie to the team with: “Are you ready?’’
Soon enough, the two will meet up in person, as the offseason workout program advances to on-field work.
“I can’t wait,’’ Hyatt said.
“I can already tell he’s the leader of the team. By the time I get up there, that’s one of the first things. I’m going to meet with him to understand what he does, what he likes in games, what are his best throws, what he wants me to do for him. I think when you build that connection with a quarterback, you can go as far as you want to go.’’
Hyatt has already added weight to his slim frame, which he believes he needs to better compete in the NFL.
He increased from 175 pounds to his current weight of about 188.
He wants to play at 190 and is not at all concerned his renowned speed — 4.32 — will decrease with the added bulk.
“That speed is gonna stay with me,’’ he said, smiling. “I was born with that.’’
If Hyatt is a big hit, Schoen’s work behind the scenes and past history as a scout will have paid off for the Giants.
“We’ll see how it works out,” Schoen said. “I know we’ve spent time with him. He’s a great kid and he embodies what we want to be about. He’s a good football player. Everybody is going to come in here, compete, earn their spot, and we’ll see how it falls. But he’s wired the right way.”
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