Injury uncertainty could push enticing receiver prospect into Titans’ draft range, but Mike Borgonzi would have to gamble for Cam Ward
One of the top receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft could potentially slide in the first round thanks to growing medical concerns.
With roughly a month left before the 2026 NFL draft is upon us, this is when our assumptions start to get tested.
One consensus assumption all along has been that the top three receivers in this class—Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, USC’s Makai Lemon, and Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson—will be long gone before even sniffing the second night of the draft. But the story on Tyson this entire time has been his medical history and future durability. As we near the moment of truth, we still don’t have a satisfying answer. And it’s starting to become reasonable to wonder just how far he might fall because of it.
Jordyn Tyson’s medical issues continue to loom large
Let’s recap a bit. Tyson is a 6’2″, 203lb receiver coming off a 711 yard, 8 touchdown season in which he started just nine games. He missed four outings with separate hamstring injuries. His medical issues date back all the way to 2022, as documented here by A to Z Sports draft expert Ryan Roberts. This is what he wrote in a post-Combine report on Tyson’s medical check in Indianapolis, which to many people’s surprise, came back positive:
“As I reported while on site in Indianapolis, Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson got some good news regarding his medicals this past week. With a long and troubling history of injuries at both Colorado and Arizona State, including a catastrophic knee injury in 2022, a broken collarbone in 2024, and a nagging hamstring this past year, many were terrified about what the medicals would show. With a clean bill of health, Tyson would have a strong argument to be selected inside the top-10 of the 2026 NFL Draft. According to a source in the league, Tyson’s medicals came back “clean”, which was some great news. When Tyson takes his visits to organizations leading up to April, they will have their own team doctors to test him out further, but this was a great early sign.”
So it seemed fundamental, structural health concerns weren’t something to be too worried about. And yet, we’re now nearly a month away from the draft and we still have not see him work out in any capacity. Here is what the Athletic’s Dane Brugler said this past week about Tyson sitting out at the ASU pro day:
“It was a hamstring that bothered him throughout the year. And then it spiked a little bit during training, he wasn’t able to work out at the Combine, he’s not going to work out at the pro day. There’s a hope he can maybe run some routes before the draft, but we’ll find out about that as we get closer.”
It’s been nearly four months since Tyson last played a game! This just isn’t looking great as the big weekend approaches. And yet, turn on his tape and you’re instantly reminded of why he’s a top-10 talent every team in the league would want to get their hands on when healthy.
As of right now, Tyson remains right around the midpoint of the first round on the consensus mock draft database. But without being able to work out all draft season, there’s just no telling which teams will be willing to take a swing on him. And there’s no telling where those teams will be willing to pull the trigger either.
He’s already beginning to get some first round slide talk. Could he reach the run of WR-needy teams in the 20’s? Could his medicals knock him down even further than that? Here is where the Titans theoretically come into the picture. Tyson as a football talent is a dream come true for Tennessee. He’s an elite separator with ideal positional versatility and body control. He has true WR1 upside. It really is just a question of medicals.
If you ask me, he would be a dream come true at pick 35. If he were to slip into the 20’s, I’d imagine he could become a trade-up target. I don’t think the Titans are in the market for any trade that significant just on principle, but never say never. The question that must be answered is what the Titans’ own in-house medical team uncovered on Tyson. And then the unanswerable question: how much of the past four years have been horrendous luck, and how much has been a result of a human being who is just unfortunately brittle by NFL football player standards?
There’s no doubt it will be a tremendous gamble to take him wherever he ends up going. But I don’t take issue with Borgonzi rolling the dice with his second pick if he has reason to believe it’s a worthy bet. Tyson’s talent is that enticing.
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