Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt caught six passes for 207 yards and five touchdowns in the Volunteers’ 52-49 victory over Alabama in an SEC game on Oct. 15, so he had a fan club in New York even before he joined the Giants in the third round of the NFL Draft on April 28.

“That was the most fun,” said New York wide receiver Darius Slayton, who is an Auburn alumnus. “I was a fan before he got here.”

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Hyatt’s selection meant the Giants have picked a wide receiver within the first three rounds of the NFL Draft for three years in a row. New York also signed three wide receivers who played for other teams last year in free agency this offseason.

“I think kind of selfishly as a speed guy, I lean towards other speed guys,” Slayton said on Wednesday. “I like watching people flying around fast. We’ve got a lot of them now. Parris (Campbell) was a 4.30 guy. Jeff Smith was a 4.2 guy, low 4.3 guy. And Hyatt obviously could fly. I could fly. You turn on the film, it’s a whole lot of flying. I mean, it’s fun to watch, fun to play with guys like that.”

Slayton sees the influx of wide receivers as a positive for the Giants, not as a threat to his place in New York’s game plan.

“I believe in myself,” Slayton said. “I believe in my ability. I believe in the work I put in in the offseason. Whether we add 10 guys, whether we add all of you guys, I believe I’ll find my way on the field.”

Slayton could have been preparing for this fifth NFL season with another team. But after reaching unrestricted free agency in March, Slayton stayed with the Giants for a two-year, $12 million contract.

After quarterback Daniel Jones signed a contract extension with New York, Slayton said, staying with the Giants was an easy choice. Jones and Slayton joined New York in the 2019 NFL Draft – Jones as the sixth pick and Slayton as the 171st.

“I think there’s a lot in limbo this offseason,” Slayton said. “D.J. was out there. A lot of us were free agents, that type of deal. But I think once he came back, I think it made all the sense in the world to keep playing with him. Got great chemistry with him. I enjoy being a part of this franchise, so, for me, it just made the most sense to come back.”

Slayton said Jones would be able to use the Giants’ added speed to good advantage.

“I think he’s doing great,” Slayton said. “I think definitely walking away from last season, explosives were the thing we needed more of. I think definitely this spring it’s been a conscious effort to push the ball down the field. We have all these guys, like having a bunch of Ferraris. Keep them in the garage; take them out to the track. I think that’s kind of been the mindset and maybe why you see a little more of the ball going down the field.”

Eleven NFL teams have had the same player be the leading receiver for at least three of the past four seasons, and that includes the Giants, with Slayton topping New York in receiving yards in 2019, 2020 and 2022. Those 11 players have combined for 14 Pro Bowl invitations and six first-team All-Pro selections, but Slayton has not received either of those honors.

“I wouldn’t say it bothers me because everybody doesn’t know what I know,” Slayton said. “Everybody is not in the Giants building. At the end of the day, you can only judge based on what you see from afar. You see this guy go for a 1,000 or see a guy go for 100 yards every week, and you go, ‘He’s really good.’ Some of these guys play with nobody. I play with Saquon (Barkley). Where do you think the ball is going first? Not me. (Sterling) Shep(ard). We had Evan Engram and now Darren (Waller). I didn’t play with just a bunch of bums. That’s a little annoying because at the end of the day it’s not like I’ve ever been the only person or one person to get the ball, whereas somebody is. It is what it is.

“At the end of the day, I just play to win. As long as the Giants win, I’ll be all right.”

In 2022, New York posted a winning record for the first time since Slayton joined the team. The Giants also participated in the postseason for the first time since 2016 and won a playoff game for the first time since 2011 last season.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.