Like Joe Schoen, Giants WR Jalin Hyatt relies on PB&J

On the first installment of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants,” we got an in-depth look at a day in the life of general manager Joe Schoen.

Schoen has been the Giants’ GM for three seasons now but the 44-year-old has been working in NFL front offices since he was 21. Back then, there wasn’t a lot of money in his pockets or time on his hands and Schoen revealed he had to resort to eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the go.

One of Schoen’s 2023 draft picks, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, is also a fan of the “PB&J” but consumes them for a different reason.

“It’s definitely hard for myself (to gain weight),” Hyatt recently said on Giants Huddle. “Some guys, it’s easier for them to gain weight or gain muscle. For myself, it’s harder. I burn a lot of calories quick. I’m just one of those guys that’s got to just keep eating.

“PB&J’s was one of my biggest things because you want to eat your full meal. You don’t want to eat a little bit and drink a protein shake. Then you’re not really getting anything. So, for myself, finishing, completing your full meals, and then, an hour later or 30 minutes later, that’s when you put in an Uncrustables or a PB&J or a little protein shake.”

Hyatt is one of the fastest players in the league. He was clocked at 24 MPH last summer at training camp, a speed only the Miami Dolphins’ superstar Tyreek Hill has ever achieved.

One wonders if Hyatt would lose some of that raw speed if he packed on a few more pounds. At six feet tall, he weighed 176 pounds at the NFL Combine. He is currently up to 185.

Last year, Hyatt showed some flashes of his explosiveness but looked very much the rookie in many games, catching just 23 of 40 targets for 373 yards with no touchdowns.