The NFL draft is approaching fast, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of draft capital to play with. They want to compete for a Super Bowl this year, and while that seems unlikely, if they nail many of their picks, perhaps they’ll get within striking distance of that goal. Their first pick comes at 21, and it’s the most important one. It’s their best shot at a high-end talent. Analyst Ryan Wilson thinks Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson would be the perfect pick for the Steelers on Day 1.
“I went with Jordyn Tyson, trying to will this to existence,” Wilson said Wednesday on CBS Sports HQ. “The only issue with Jordyn is the injury concerns. Had a hamstring last year, had the collarbone the year before that, had a serious knee injury back in [2023]. We haven’t seen him run yet in the pre-draft process. He has a workout scheduled next week, so we’ll see what that looks like.
“If he goes out there and works out in the same way that we saw Jermod McCoy worked out, where he ran in the 4.3s, then we’re gonna have another conversation about how high Jordyn can go. But right now, he’s probably in the 15-32 range… He would be such a complement to those two other wide receivers in Pittsburgh and change the complexion of that wide receiver room.”
Tyson is arguably the best receiver in this draft class. He spent four years playing collegiate football, with the past three seasons coming at Arizona State. Tyson exploded onto the scene in 2024, catching 75 passes for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Unfortunately, as Wilson says, injuries are a huge question mark with him. His 2025 season was solid, with 61 catches for 711 yards and eight touchdowns, but a nagging hamstring injury limited him to only nine games and kept him out of action towards the end of the season.
That comes after Tyson missed the end of the 2024 season due to a broken collarbone. Also, a serious knee injury forced him to miss the entire 2023 season.
That’s a rough track record, and it seems to have hurt Tyson’s draft stock. Recent reports support Wilson’s idea that Tyson could slip to the back half of the first round of the draft. Also, some analysts have brought up questions about Tyson’s toughness.
However, the Steelers might be more willing to take a chance on him. Steelers legend Hines Ward has been Tyson’s position coach for the past three years. That should help them get information on the young receiver.
While the Steelers traded for Michael Pittman Jr., receiver is still a big need for them. They don’t have much depth behind him and DK Metcalf. Tyson would be a nice fit alongside them. If he falls to the Steelers’ pick at 21, it might be tough for them to pass on him.
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