Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is considered a top prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. He is projected as a first-round pick, with some mock drafts pegging him as a top-10 selection, but questions about his durability have emerged.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah joined former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. and NFL insider James Palmer this week for a 2026 wide receiver mock draft and big board reveal. During the episode, Smith argued against selecting Tyson due to concerns about his durability.
Steve Smith Questions Durability of Jordyn Tyson Ahead of Draft
“Durability is like when you’re looking for a significant other, if they can’t cook, it’s really tough,” Smith said. “I say can’t cook, meaning that there’s so many elements in football, and one of them you always hear is you can’t make the club in the tub. So why, if you won’t hire a free agent, somebody that is generally hurt all the time, why would you all of a sudden draft and invest four years or in the first round five years of hopes, thoughts, and prayers that he would be able to be now durable? And it’s not his durability, it’s just the hamstring stuff. ACL, PCL, MCL, all the L’s.
“He got all the L’s, and then on top of it, you now have soft tissue. Collarbone, which I take out because that is a collarbone for a wide receiver; that’s just sometimes where you fall on it wrong. That isn’t necessarily your fault. That’s like a rolled ankle in basketball. You have no control over that. But when you put it all together, it’s a laundry list of injuries. And the laundry list of injuries is telling me that when you get it, if he’s having fender benders (in college), we know it’s full-on crashes in the NFL every single play.”
Tyson had been projected as the first wide receiver off the board in most NFL mock drafts. However, he appears to be sliding, and as Smith pointed out, the biggest concern surrounding him is his durability.
Tyson played nine games during the 2025 season before suffering a hamstring injury in the Oct. 11 game against Utah. He returned for the Nov. 22 game against Colorado but later suffered a broken collarbone during the regular-season finale against Arizona on Nov. 28, causing him to miss the Sun Devils’ Peach Bowl appearance against Texas.
The hamstring and collarbone were the latest setbacks, as he sustained a knee injury (ACL, MCL, and PCL tears) as a true freshman at Colorado in 2022. That injury resulted in him missing a portion of 2023. The string of injuries has led evaluators to question his durability, as there is a distinction between being injury-prone and being perceived as soft.
Tyson did not take part in on-field drills at the NFL Scouting Combine or Arizona State’s Pro Day due to the hamstring injury, though he did perform the bench press in Indianapolis. However, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham pushed back on concerns about Tyson’s toughness, noting that critics may not realize he has played through pain, such as appearing in a game with stitches in his hand.
Dillingham recalled that Tyson suffered a severe cut to his hand in practice last season that required stitches, but he suited up that weekend. He described Tyson as a player “who’s gonna be the face” of an NFL franchise.
Durability issues aside, Tyson is seen as a top pass-catching prospect due to his blend of size, speed, and agility. His short-area route running and release package are considered strengths. He moves effortlessly with sharp change-of-direction ability.
Tyson recorded 61 receptions for 711 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games for the Sun Devils in 2025, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors for the second consecutive year. He posted an 81.2 grade in the PFSN College Football WR Impact Score.
