There’s no certifiable 2026 NFL Draft top wide receiver prospect in the upcoming class, but a select few college football stars have separated themselves as WR1 candidates. The Arizona State Sun Devils’ Jordyn Tyson is one such WR1 contender on the early 2026 NFL Draft landscape.
What has Tyson shown across his journey to CFB prominence, and what makes him unique as a WR prospect in a positional golden age for NFL Draft evaluation? Below, we’ll dive into Tyson’s game and determine where his merit as a potential first-round pick lies.
Jordyn Tyson Emerging as Premier College Football Threat
Tyson has had an unorthodox career path to this point, and it hasn’t had any bearing on the result. He’s one of the best wide receivers in college and a top prospect early on in the draft process, but that wasn’t always the expected outcome.
The diversions in Tyson’s path started at the high school level, where he played his freshman, sophomore, and senior seasons at Allen High School in Allen, Texas, while spending his junior season at Independence High.
Tyson’s one-year stint at Independence proved not to be fruitful, as he only caught 21 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns. The big-play potential was there, but Tyson’s senior year was his lone one of actual top-flight production.
Though Tyson finished his high school career on a high note with 80 catches for 1,512 yards and 12 TDs in 2021, he only earned a three-star recruit billing and received just one Power Five offer from the Colorado Buffaloes.
Tyson signed with the Buffaloes and ended up leading an abysmal passing offense in receiving as a true freshman, accruing 470 yards and four touchdowns on just 22 catches. Tyson himself was a bright spot for the 1-11 Buffaloes, but he was one of many eventual departures in the wake of Deion Sanders’ arrival and roster overhaul.
In the spring of 2023, Tyson entered the transfer portal. Not long after, he committed to Arizona State, joining Kenny Dillingham’s inaugural transfer class. Tyson only played in three games and recorded zero receptions in 2023 due to an injury. But a year later, he exploded onto the scene as the Sun Devils’ top target.
Playing 12 games before collarbone surgery ended his season ahead of the College Football Playoff, Tyson amassed 75 receptions for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns. He won Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors and caused scouts to flock to his 2024 tape.
When he’s been healthy, Tyson has been a talent who exceeds his surroundings from the start. He accounted for 22% of his offense’s passing yardage output as a true freshman and over 34% of that output in 2024. And just as the metrics favor optimism for his evaluation, so too does the film.
Tyson’s Deep Dive: How Does the Arizona State WR Separate Himself?
Often, there’s a dichotomy between bigger, catch-dominating WR prospects and smaller, route-dominating ones. Tyson blends the line between the two, and in doing so, profiles as a very exciting NFL pass catcher.
At 6’1″, 195 pounds, Tyson has enough size and length to outmatch and box out smaller defensive backs. And yet, he has the high-end explosiveness, speed, smooth fluidity, and foot quickness to create separation for himself and capitalize on space.
In a long touchdown against Kansas State, Tyson blends a number of positive traits together. He wins off the line against press with a rapid split release and prying strength. Tyson uses his speed and stemming IQ to blow past the safety, making a high-difficulty tracking catch in the back of the end zone.
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Jordyn Tyson? He good. pic.twitter.com/vj0N0zKv37
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) June 20, 2025
At his size, Tyson is a truly effortless accelerator who can generate true stacking vertical speed without strain. While that verticality is a major part of his game, he’s not just a linear threat, either. He can use that speed to scare defenders into retreating upfield, and he has the retraction and deceleration to make them pay for it.
The play below, while it doesn’t feature Tyson getting the ball, effectively displays this ability. On an intermediate hitch route, Tyson uses his long-strider speed to press upfield. Then, suddenly, he sinks, retracts, and hinges around, showing that suddenness and control.
While Jordyn Tyson has room to reach a higher echelon as a route runner, there are really promising flashes on tape already.
Watch him at the top of the screen here. He uses his speed to press upfield into the CB blind spot, then suddenly retracts and decelerates on the hitch. pic.twitter.com/aAnjh7gWHe
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) June 24, 2025
The core route-running building blocks — deceleration freedom, hip sink, foot speed, retraction quickness, and flexibility — are all prevalent on Tyson’s tape, and he’s shown to use them with a heightened understanding of deception as well.
Another play against Kansas State shows this well. Here, Tyson is operating from the left slot. He offsets the nickel defender with a split release and stems inside slightly. Then, with a wicked double-move and head-fake, he feigns a crossing route for a split second before bending and searing upfield, gaining space on the slot fade.
Here’s another great example of what’s already there with Jordyn Tyson as a route runner, working from the left slot.
He doesn’t get the ball, but this is a wicked double-move and head-fake off the split release. Ties up the CB’s hips *just* enough for Tyson to explode vertical. pic.twitter.com/W3hwtLOzDq
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) June 24, 2025
Tyson’s head fake is extremely quick and subtle here, but that move ties up the cornerback’s hips just enough to get that angle advantage he needs on the vertical plane. Separation is about spatial manipulation, and along with his high-end traits, Tyson has proven he can tap into that.
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If you can win 1-on-1 and stress a defense on a snap-to-snap basis, there’s a place for you in a WR rotation, at the very least. Tyson has that skill in his arsenal, but he’s also no slouch at the catch point.
Tyson’s body control and tracking ability are definite strengths, and he’s commonly tough and composed in contact situations, particularly over the middle of the field. As he shows below against 2025 third-round pick Jacob Parrish, Tyson uses his frame to wall off defenders, and can convert when it matters for moving the chains.
Jordyn Tyson found himself lined up against 2025 third-round pick Jacob Parrish more than once in Arizona State’s game against Kansas State.
It was a battle, but Tyson proved he could use his 6’1″ frame to wall off smaller DBs on tough MOF catches. pic.twitter.com/S84YL8Gnnw
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) June 24, 2025
So let’s recap: Tyson is a high-level vertical athlete with snap, suddenness, and flexibility. He has the speed to stretch the field, stem defenders, and accrue RAC in the open field. He can weaponize his athletic traits as a route runner, and he’s an instinctive catch-point adapter with middle-field focus.
We know what makes Tyson a definite WR1 candidate in the 2026 NFL Draft. To lock down that mantle, he’ll have to improve in these two areas first: Consistency with route-running efficiency and in contact situations down the field.
It’s important to note that Tyson improved over the course of the 2024 season (another very promising sign), but there are lapses in route efficiency on tape. One of Tyson’s most prevalent issues is that he occasionally drifts past his break point on horizontal-breaking stems, losing space and inviting contact.
The play below is one such example. Tyson drifts too far past his break point on the out route and fails to capitalize after pressing vertical, and his slow hip transition ensures that the defender suffocates him to the boundary.
The deceleration capacity to go along with his speed is there with Jordyn Tyson. So too is the ability to work through contact. Both just need to be more consistent in ’25.
At the top of the screen here, he drifts past his break point and struggles to flip his hips and decouple. pic.twitter.com/AwZZUpHBwl
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) June 24, 2025
Just as Tyson can reach an even higher echelon as a route runner, so too can he continue working toward being quantifiably elite as a catch-point convertor. When he’s anticipating hard hits, Tyson’s hand technique and composure can erode, resulting in focus drops.
While Jordyn Tyson is solid versus contact, there are occasional lapses when he’s anticipating hits.
To be fair, Sam Leavitt throws this a little late and gives the DB more time, but Tyson’s composure and hand technique can erode when he senses contact from depth. pic.twitter.com/ImGcNJit0q
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) June 24, 2025
Having said all this, Tyson’s outlook at this point is extremely positive. On PFSN’s early 2026 NFL Draft Big Board, he’s fighting only Clemson’s Antonio Williams for the WR1 crown.
Tyson has the size-speed advantage if he manages to grow into an elite technician. Off his size, speed, and deceptive suddenness, he bears some similarity to Baltimore Ravens WR and former first-round pick Rashod Bateman.
Tyson might not be a bona fide WR1 at this stage, but he has the skill set to be a valuable starter with a multi-level element. A healthy 2025 campaign could unlock even greater heights.