Cutdown day in East Rutherford delivered the kind of jolt that gets everyone talking. The New York Giants didn’t just trim the roster - they cut loose two of their recent draft investments, moving on from Evan Neal and Jalin Hyatt in the same wave of moves.
Neal, the No. 7 overall pick in 2022, is out after never truly claiming his spot up front. Hyatt, a third-round pick in 2023 out of Tennessee, is gone too. The wideout never turned his speed into touchdowns, and the Giants decided to move on after three seasons that produced 36 catches, 470 yards, and zero touchdowns.
Adam Schefter broke the Neal news first: “Giants are releasing OL Evan Neal, the former No. 7 overall pick, as @art_stapleton reported.” Ari Meirov then reported Hyatt’s exit: “Just in: The #Giants are waiving WR Jalin Hyatt, who was their 3rd-round pick out of Tennessee in 2023.”
Neal came into the league with franchise-cornerstone expectations after arriving from Alabama, but injuries and shaky protection quickly knocked him off course. Hyatt’s path went sideways as well. A leg injury in August left him on the third team, and the Giants will save more than $1.5 million by waiving him.
His No. 13 is now available again, which opens the door for Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham stayed on the roster after spending a year away from the league, and he wrapped camp with seven catches for 76 yards, including three grabs for 53 against the Jets.
Harbaugh said Beckham had “done enough to make an NFL roster, for sure.” Beckham, for his part, called the spot “everything.”
The Giants also made several other moves. Brandon Allen and Jake Haener are out behind Jaxson Dart and Jameis Winston.
Braxton Berrios was waived with a plan to return before Week 1. Isaiah Hodgins, Xavier Gipson, Eric Gray, Darius Muasau, Lucas Patrick, and kicker Ben Sauls also hit the wire, while cornerback Korie Black landed on IR.
At receiver, the room now runs through Malik Nabers, rookie Malachi Fields, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, and Beckham. Dallas comes to town on Sunday Night Football on Sept. 13, and Year One of Harbaugh in East Rutherford already has a hard edge to it. Cutting a No. 7 pick and a third-round receiver in the same afternoon says plenty: draft status won’t buy anyone a roster spot.
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