Upgrading the wide receiver position will be near the top of the Steelers’ offseason wish list. With many NFL draft analysts touting this class as fairly deep, that’s good news for Pittsburgh. At least one player in the group will likely have a particular interest in the team because of his ties with a Steelers legend.
In a recent episode of 89 with Steve Smith and James Palmer, Smith revealed his big board for the 2026 wide receiver class. At the top spot was Arizona State wideout Jordyn Tyson. Tyson. The former Colorado Buffalo has been the heartbeat of the Sun Devils’ passing offense for the last two seasons, vaulting up draft boards in the process. At 6-2, 200 pounds, he’s a shifty route runner who understands leverage and the nuances of the position.
How does a college receiver get that type of knowledge, you ask? By having the Steelers’ all-time leading receiver as his coach. Hines Ward heads the Arizona State receivers’ room, and Smith thinks it has made all the difference for Tyson.
“A cheat code,” Smith said when asked about the advantage of Tyson having Ward as his coach. “Hines was not known to be fast, but Hines understood how to run routes and the purpose of why he runs routes.”
Tyson, like Ward, is by no means a burner. Not slow but certainly will not be in line to break the 40-yard dash record at the NFL Scouting Combine. Instead, he wins like an NFL pro, finding soft spots in zones and one-on-one breaking tackles.
There’s some CeeDee Lamb in his game as a strong-bodied Z-receiver who understands how to play the position. The rise he’s enjoyed has been in part thanks to the NFL knowledge Ward has passed along.
Unfortunately, Tyson will likely be off the board by the time the Steelers pick in the first round. Plus, they have other needs, namely at quarterback, so they likely pick a receiver in the second round or later.
Maybe some of the wide receivers below Tyson could fall to the Steelers, like Denzel Boston, Chris Brazzell II, Carnell Tate, Antonio Williams, or Germie Bernard. Whoever the Steelers end up adding will hopefully help revitalize a passing attack that has been missing some juice for the past few years.
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