Jordyn Tyson’s NFL Draft stock is rising. Just ask ESPN’s Mel Kiper
Receiver Jordyn Tyson's 2026 NFL Draft stock has improved through ASU's 4-2 start to the year.
Wide receiver Jordyn Tyson #0 of the Arizona State Sun Devils slips past safety Austin Jordan #1 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half at Mountain America Stadium on September 26, 2025 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
Leading into the 2025 college football season, it was Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt viewed as a top NFL Draft prospect at a premium position.
Halfway through the college football season, it’s teammate Jordyn Tyson whose stock has improved through ASU’s 4-2 start to the year.
Longtime ESPN’s draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has Tyson ranked as the No. 8 prospect overall on his midseason big board.
The Colorado transfer has teamed up with quarterback Sam Leavitt to light up defenses for two seasons now. Tyson’s superpower is being open even when it looks like he’s completely blanketed. It makes him essentially uncoverable in the red zone. He wins on 50-50 balls and outmuscles defensive backs. His 116 receiving yards after first contact rank inside the top 20 nationwide.
Tyson’s seven receiving touchdowns are tied for second-most in the country.
He’s piled up 523 receiving yards to this point, and his 47 catches rank fourth in the nation.
The Sun Devil is the second wide receiver on the board after USC’s Makai Lemon, the nation’s current leading receiver (682 yards).
Leavitt, meanwhile, had gotten off to a rough start but appeared to turn a corner in a win over TCU, when he threw for 291 yards and two scores with an additional touchdown on the ground.
A lower body injury that kept him out of a loss to Utah last week didn’t help Leavitt build that momentum.
He was viewed by Kiper and fellow ESPN draft expert Field Yates as a top-four quarterback prospect heading into the season.
Kiper lists Leavitt as the No. 8 quarterback prospect on his big board update released Tuesday.
Mel Kiper Jr.’s midseason quarterback big board for the 2026 NFL Draft
1. Dante Moore, Oregon
2. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
3. Ty Simpson, Alabama
4. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
5. John Mateer, Oklahoma
6. Carson Beck, Miami (Fla.)
7. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
8. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
9. Jayden Maiava, USC
10. Drew Allar, Penn State
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Comments
5 Comments
Take care Mr. Tyson, don't read much into Kiper's opinion, albeit a flattering one at this point. He had Shadeur Sanders going in the first round last year, didn't he? Then went ballistic on live TV when Sanders slipped to the 5th round.
Mel has been the go-to source for draft prospects for nearly half a century. Silly to diss him after it's made him a multi-millionaire whose career has outlasted even the biggest stars he's promoted.
Sanders should have gone in the first round. He should be starting for the Browns. That had nothing to do with his DNA ability. Shameful NFL. The league has always recoiled at rebels - until they become too popular not to exploit them. (Think Broadway Joe, Ken the Snake Stabler, Brett Farve) Recall when NBA magazines used to airbrush off Allen Iverson's tats. Now the players are virtually all are covered with tats.