Jordyn Tyson can win OROY
By: Jake Rajala
The New Orleans Saints drafted wide reciever Jordyn Tyson (out of Arizona State) eighth overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. The 21 year old has very high expectations. The Saints are hoping he can be more effective than former first round pick Robert Meachem and even former first round pick Brandin Cooks.
Tyson recorded 18 touchdowns in his last two seasons combined. He had the highest score among all WRs in the draft. Furthermore, he was AP All-American. Lance Zerilein compared him to none other than Terry McLaurin. His crisp route running, toughness, and ability to go up and catch the football, also reminds me of Dez Bryant.
Tyson is entering another superb situation. He gets to play with Tyler Shough, who was second in OROY votes last season. Chris Olave was second team All-Pro with the Saints, but he would have been first team AP if he played with Tyler Shough for the “entire 2025-2026 season”.
There was a noticeable void at WR2 going into the draft. Devaughn Vele is a modest WR3, but he’s not quite ready to be a 1,000 yard WR. Taysom Hill is also out of the building. Bryce Lance will also be an x-factor. Yes, his brother is Trey Lance.
One of the reasons that Tyson may not blow the roof off on defenses is that teams like the Atlanta Falcons and Saints are building up their running game. The Falcons have Bijan Robinson (who was fourth in the NFL in carries) and the Saints very recently brought in Travis Etienne, who will pair with Alvin Kamara. When the Saints won the Super Bowl, they had Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.
Furthermore, the NFC South has young QBs across the board. Besides Baker Mayfield, the oldest QB is Tyler Shough, and he’s 26 years old. Bryce Young is 24 years old and Michael Penix is 25 years old.
Kellen Moore knows how to get the best out of his weapons. After all, we’re talking about the former Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator. Tyson reminds me of DeVonta Smith. He had a career high 8 touchdowns in 2024.
I believe Jordyn is in a better situation than other offensive rookies taken ahead of him. Fernando Mendoza doesn’t have a lot of help at WR on offense. His defense was also 25th in PPG allowed last season.
The Tennessee Titans WR Carnell Tate is the biggest competition for Tyson in my opinion. Cam Ward is a gifted passer and Tate will step in as the WR1 role, so he should garner more targets than Tyson.
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