Pro Football Rumors
A week ago, Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson announced on Instagram that he was declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft, forgoing his final season of eligibility. Tyson is projected to be a consensus first-round pick and is thought by many to be the clear WR1 of the class.
Initially a three-star prospect out of Allen HS (TX), Tyson had a slow start to his recruitment. In a talent-rich area of an extremely talent-rich state, Tyson only saw offers rolling in from the likes of Sam Houston State, Campbell, New Mexico, Tulsa, Texas State, and Colorado State. So, in the summer before his senior season, when Tyson took an official visit to Colorado and earned an offer over a month later, he committed soon after to the Buffaloes and then-head coach Karl Dorrell.
In one of Colorado’s worst years in program history, Dorrell was fired only five games into what would be a one-win season. When new head coach Deion Sanders arrived, prompting one of the largest mass replacements in college football history that saw 57 outgoing transfers replaced by 52 incoming student athletes, Tyson joined the crowd in searching for a new home. Luckily for the true freshman, Tyson’s last three games at Colorado put up some pretty attractive film for the portal as he combined for 13 catches, 344 yards, and two touchdowns over that span.
Tyson found his way to Tempe in the transfer portal but was limited to only three games in 2023 due to knee injuries and had to take a redshirt year as the Sun Devils struggled to a 3-9 season following the implosion of star freshman quarterback Jaden Rashada. Last year, Arizona State rebounded to 11-3 with a berth in the College Football Playoff thanks to breakout campaigns from a redshirt sophomore Tyson and transfer running back Cam Skattebo. Recording a team-leading 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns, Tyson delivered the first 1,000-yard receiving season for a Sun Devil since Brandon Aiyuk‘s 2019 campaign.
With Skattebo off to the NFL, all eyes were on Tyson to see what he might do in 2025 as the main event in Tempe. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury held him out of three-and-a-half games this season, but Tyson still dominated when on the field, leading Arizona State once again with 61 receptions for 711 yards and eight touchdowns. Following his declaration, Tyson’s expected to sit out his team’s New Year’s Eve bowl game, so those numbers for 2025 should be final.
Bulking and growing into a 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame over his years as a Sun Devil, Tyson excites scouts with his pro potential. With strong top-end speed and elite route-running, Tyson is often an open target, but even more frustrating for defensive backs is that — even when he is blanketed by coverage — Tyson is one of the NCAA’s best when winning at the catch point and outmuscling the defense for 50-50 balls.
The draft’s potential WR1 isn’t perfect, though. An issue with drops...
