Wide Receiver Jordyn Tyson Creates Throwing Windows

Watching ASU wide receiver Jordyn Tyson running routes is like watching poetry in motion.

If I were a college scout on an NFL team during the pre-draft meetings this year and I was called upon to talk about Tyson, I would start by saying, “Tyson is a route architect.”

This is a scouting term I coined when studying Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka while he played at Ohio State, and it’s appropriate to use it again.

While Tyson has the juice to get deep, the crux of the high-level work he does is in the short-to-intermediate route levels (0-19 yards). This is why Tyson is an extremely intriquing NFL prospect.

Sure, that’s the route levels where most of today’s NFL play scripting happens.

But, it’s more than that.

NFL cornerbacks are more savvy than college-level cornerbacks. It takes more than being another pretty face with speed and good hands. It also takes accomplished route-running skills.

And Tyson has that.

Throwing windows

This is what the area is called that the quarterback has to throw into when attempting to complete passes to a receiver. It’s a “window of space” that receivers are able to create.

And Tyson excels at winning at route breakpoints (where the receiver changes direction on a route and moves toward where the ball is being thrown) and creating these throwing windows.

He creates route leverage in one of four ways:

1. By taking misdirection counter steps or by giving a counter head fake right before breaking on the ball.
2. By flattening out the route after he changes direction and using his body very well to box out cornerbacks.
3. By waiting until the last second to quickly “front face” and turn into the area where the ball is being delivered.
4. By working back to the ball when it’s coming his way in the air.

What makes Tyson so dangerous is which method he’s going to use on any given play is completely unpredictable.

YAC

This stands for “yardage after catch,” and Tyson is determined and not the easiest to bring down after he makes the grab. While he doesn’t smoke defenses after the catch, he does tend to pick up extra yardage.

Per Pro Football Focus (PFF), Tyson racked up 263 yards of YAC (4.3 yards per reception) in 2025.

➕ This is another plus.

Elephant in the room

Okay…

Okay…

Yes, a medical tent has been parked next to Tyson’s college football career, and this is the BIGGEST CONCERN surrounding him going forward.

Documented injury history (Sports Illustrated):

• 2022: tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL
• 2023: missed that season because of that injury
• 2024: collarbone injury
• 2025: missed time with a hamstring injury

It’s been reported that Tyson missed over 40% of his college games due to injury.

ASU put a lot of pressure on him to be the guy. Too much. According to PFF, Tyson accounted for 113 of the team’s 354 targets in 2024 (31.9%) and 97 of the team’s 407 targets in 2025 (23.8%).

#0 Jordyn Tyson 6-foot-2, 200 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Final 2026 NFL Draft Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Alert: High Injury Risk

Projected by NFL Mock Draft Database to be a First Round prospect as of February 10, 2026

Wide Receiver Jordyn Tyson Keeps the Offense Moving (2024: 12 games evaluated)

2025 game film evaluated: Northern Arizona, Mississippi State, Texas State, Baylor, TCU, Utah, Texas Tech, Colorado, and Arizona (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025: 61 catches on 99 targets (61.7% catch rate)

PFF (2025): Slot 25% and Wide 74.7%

Former NFL receiver Hines Ward was his wide receiver coach

2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report

High-energy athletic receiver. Larry Fitzgerald-type body. Ideal No. 2 receiver. Strong hands. Plucks the ball. Finds soft spots in zone. Great deep ball tracking and adjustment. Times jumps well. Inconsistent on contested catches. Clears out areas when he’s not the intended receiver by dragging defenders with him. Good at working back to his quarterback when he’s in trouble. Gets a little too cute at times. Doesn’t always lay out for passes. Tries his best to play through pain. Runs occasional end around. Even threw the ball once—average blocker.

Final words

Drafting Tyson is like buying a used Ferrari.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. Featured in USA Today. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.