EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Consider this a first for New York Giants coach Brian Daboll, who helped pull off a draft day trade Friday with the Los Angeles Rams that ultimately netted his team wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.
The Giants traded their third-round pick (No. 89 overall) and fourth-rounder (No. 128) to the Rams in order to move up to No. 73 overall in the third round for the speedy Hyatt, the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner given to the nation’s best receiver.
The move was sparked by phone correspondence between Daboll and Rams coach Sean McVay on a busy Day 2 of the NFL draft.
“[Daboll] actually executed his first trade,” Giants general manager Joe Schoen said with an accompanying laugh after the selection. “He initiated a trade with the Rams, so I congratulate him on that.”
It’s not exactly the norm for most coaches to be initiating contact on trades during the draft. Schoen said he was the one talking with other teams Thursday night during the first round of the draft, and generally someone from the front office or personnel department makes trade calls.
Not this time.
Daboll, who works closely with Schoen, was the one reaching out about moving up to grab Hyatt, rated by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. as the No. 44 overall draft prospect and a widely projected second-round pick.
“It was great … I just texted, ‘Would you be interested in this and this?'” Daboll said.
It was as simple as that for Daboll, who opened the lines of communication as the Giants jumped 16 spots in the third round. At No. 73, the Giants consider Hyatt an excellent value.
“It was a good player that we like that was kind of sticking out on our board,” Schoen said. “So at a position that we thought he could help us at receiver, he’s 4.3 [seconds in the 40-yard dash] and change, you can feel his speed on film. It’s legit.
“Just a player that we liked and spent some time with, and we thought the value was good for what we had to give up to go get him.”