Dane Brugler's final mock draft (The Athletic)

Mendoza, Reese, Baily, Love, Downs, Fano and Tate are off the board when we pick in his mock. Bain goes #9 to KC

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8. New Orleans Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
Aside from Chris Olave, the Saints don’t have an established wide receiver who scares opposing defenses on their roster. Tyson would bring the talent to change that.

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Overview

Birthday: August 12, 2004; Year: Fourth-year junior
A two-year starter at Arizona State, Tyson lined up as the X receiver (74.7 of snaps aligned outside) in offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo’s scheme (former NFL receiver Hines Ward was his wide receivers coach at ASU). After a devastating knee injury at Colorado in 2022, he transferred to Tempe and emerged as the Sun Devils’ go-to receiver the past two seasons, posting a combined 136 catches, 1,812 yards and 18 touchdowns over 21 games (Tyson, Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and UConn’s Skyler Bell were the only three FBS players with at least 1,800 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns over the past two years). He was leading the Big 12 in almost every receiving category through eight weeks of the 2025 season before being sidelined by injury — he missed 34 percent of his teams’ games over the past four years because of various injuries.

Though he doesn’t have elite speed, Tyson is plenty fast, using quickness to avoid press and route acceleration to stress coverage. Despite having only average size and strength, he is competitive in a crowd and contorts his body to make “wow” catches. (He also lowered his drop rate from 8.5 percent in 2024 to 1.6 percent in ‘25.) Loosey-goosey route steps get him in trouble at times, and savvy NFL corners will learn his tricks.

Dane’s takeaway

Tyson’s injury history is concerning, but on the field, he is a sleek, twitched-up athlete who can create his own separation and win outside his frame at the catch point. He projects as an NFL starter (inside or outside), with a skill set that reminds me of Stefon Diggs.

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