The NFL has as much elite talent at receiver as ever before. In a passing league, freakish athletes have funneled through the best schools in the nation on the way to the pros, creating factories of first-round picks.
It seems like every receiver class is a good one, although their shapes have continued to change. The 2024 class sent several stars to the league, headlined by Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., LSU teammates who set the league ablaze alongside quarterback Jayden Daniels. In 2025, four receivers went on Day 1, offering less upside but a more diverse set of skills.
Early in the process for the 2026 NFL Draft, the receiver class seems fairly similar to 2023. No receiver cracked the top 15, but teams picked their flavor in a late-first-round run at the position. In the absence of a blue-chip talent, Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson has earned the right to call himself the class' presumptive WR1.
Tyson threatens to crack the top 10
Without a truly elite talent taking hold of the consensus, Tyson's ability to check almost every box will earn him hype throughout the summer.
At 6'1", 195 pounds, Tyson is big enough to ward off size concerns and has a promising catch radius. He's expected to run between a 4.45- and 4.55-second 40-yard dash with speed that translates. Tyson can make plays at every level of the field and maintains his speed well, even if he isn't topping any leaderboards at the Combine.
As a separator, Tyson's does an exceptional job of holding the appropriate depth on out-breaking routes so as not to drift upfield. He finds opposing blind spots well and is smoother than he is sharp in his change of direction.
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Tyson is versatile enough to play on the boundary and in the slot, although he's at his best inside. There, his release looks better than it does against stronger perimeter corners. Against off coverage, he's shown an elite ability to get square against off coverage before exploding laterally or upfield.
It's easy to see Tyson making a living on option routes in the slot while moonlighting on the boundary to access more manufactured touches and the occasional deep shot. His well-rounded profile offers enough nuance to warrant Round 1 capital, giving him a path to strong target shares at the next level.
Why isn't Tyson a blue-chip prospect?
While slot receivers have gained value in recent years, some will knock him if he continues to flash more from the slot than the boundary. That narrative, along with good-but-not-elite measurables and speed, suggests Tyson lacks top-end WR1 upside most top-10 picks possess.
He isn't as proficient against press on the perimeter, and he doesn't dominate with his route running. His after-the-catch skills are strong, although a nagging fumbling problem will follow him until proven otherwise, too. Tyson's a poor blocker, although coaches tend to turn a blind eye to that if the production isn't an issue.
Tyson missed much of his 2023 season and saw his 2024 campaign end with a collarbone injury -- short of a red flag but something to watch if he misses additional time in 2025.
Tyson is an early-round prospect because he isn't dragged down by a particular weakness. Rather, some will see him as a floor play, and a poor pre-draft circuit could dampen optimism later in the cycle.
In either event, Tyson has played himself into the Round 1 conversation, and with a legitimate prospect under center, he'll have the chance to earn top-15 draft capital come April.
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