With the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson for sophomore quarterback Tyler Shough.
During the draft, Tyson showed a lot of emotion, tears running down his face when his name was called. Here’s the reason behind his draft day tears.
Jordyn Tyson’s Joy and Grief
During the draft, Tyson shared two truths: the past 24 hours have been filled with both joy and grief.
Before the draft, while on the red carpet, Tyson talked about his mom losing her grandma, as well as becoming an uncle to his niece, who was recently born:
“It’s been amazing (last 24 hours), honestly, I’m an uncle now, I feel a little older,” Tyson said. “My mom’s grandma also passed away last night, so it’s also been an emotional one (night) for her, but we’re fighting through it, trying to make the best out of this situation, and it’s part of god’s plan.”
In his draft interview after being selected by the Saints, the tears continued to pour down as he said the following:
“We’re gonna keep this thing rolling, I’m gonna give it my all, and that’s all I can do,” Tyson said. “The lord said it’s gonna be hard, you have to persevere; life is not easy, keep going, you got it, boy, you’re strong, I promise you’re so strong, just keep going, you got it.”
The last few weeks have been tough for Tyson, whose character and, mostly, his injury concerns/durability have been questioned.
In college, he suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL, which cost him about a dozen games spanning the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Furthermore, he suffered a hamstring injury during the 2025 season, and he didn’t test at the NFL Combine as a result. Over the course of his collegiate career, he played in 33 games.
During the 2025 college football season, Tyson caught 61 receptions for 711 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns, and according to PFSN’s CFB WR Impact Metric, Tyson ranked 23rd at his position last year with an impact score of 81.2 and a letter grade of B-.
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Over the course of his college career, he caught 158 passes for 2,282 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns while playing for Arizona State and Colorado.
After all that Tyson has been through in the draft process and his personal life, it’s heartwarming to see the happiness on his face on one of the best nights of his life.
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