The NFL draft is set to begin Thursday night with the first round taking place in Pittsburgh right outside of Acrisure Stadium, while the second and third rounds will be held on Friday, and the following four rounds on Saturday.
This is one of the more intriguing drafts for a few reasons. It’s very deep with players who could make legitimate impacts, but it’s top heavy with superstar talent, at least from an evaluation perspective.
Things can change when they take the field, but one player who may have just as much upside as an offensive talent in the draft is Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jordyn Tyson.
Tyson spent his freshman season at Colorado in 2022 before transferring to Arizona State, where he emerged over the next three years as one of the top wide receivers in the country. He finished his collegiate career with 158 receptions for 2,282 yards and 23 touchdowns, production that largely came over three seasons after an early injury in his first year with ASU limited his availability.
Mel Kiper Jr. has Tyson ranked among the top seven players on his overall big board. However, projections for where he could be drafted vary widely, ranging from just inside the top 10 to as low as the 20s.
One team that could potentially make a move for him, despite other roster needs, is the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 9. It also appears to be a landing spot Tyson would welcome, as he expressed interest on Wednesday in the possibility of lining up alongside tight end Travis Kelce.
“An amazing quarterback, [Patrick Mahomes] has done a lot in his short time in the league,” Tyson said. “I’ve been a big, big fan of Travis Kelce my whole life. I feel like he’s the best tight end to ever play, so that would be amazing.”
Where Tyson ends up in the first round will likely come down to how teams evaluate him compared to Carnell Tate of Ohio State and Makai Lemon of USC — the other top wide receivers projected to go early.
There’s a strong possibility Tate could come off the board before No. 9, especially with a team like the Cleveland Browns looking to add another playmaker alongside Jerry Jeudy. That could open the door for Tyson to still be available when the Chiefs are on the clock.