The New Orleans Saints went out this past offseason and made sure they added some variety to their wide receiver room. They needed a bigger-bodied playmaker who could still create explosive plays, which is why Jordyn Tyson was the perfect selection with the No. 8 overall pick in the draft.
Setting aside his injury history—and admittedly, that’s a significant thing to overlook for the moment—when you simply watch Tyson play the position, you see a wide receiver who not only has the quickness to get
in and out of his breaks, but also the strength and speed to separate from defenders and make the catches necessary to keep drives alive.
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the legendary Mike Detillier, host of Sports Talk on WWL. During our conversation, Detillier said Tyson possesses what he calls “athletic arrogance.”
Detillier went on to explain that many elite athletes have a certain level of confidence that borders on arrogance, and he made it clear that this was not an insult—it was one of the highest compliments you can give an athlete.
Then there are athletes who possess athletic arrogance.
This is a unique mentality that allows certain players to make plays that others simply cannot, regardless of the level of competition. It’s an instinctive ability that cannot be coached or taught.
Think about athletes like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan. On the basketball court, they routinely did things that coaches couldn’t teach and players couldn’t practice.
On the football field, think about Ray Lewis, Deion Sanders, Warren Sapp, Ed Reed, Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, and Julio Jones. These were players who moved in ways that often left you asking, “How did they even do that?”
When healthy, Jordyn Tyson flashes that same athletic arrogance.
The ability to float through the air and high-point the football. Laying out for passes that appear well outside of his catch radius. Launching off the wrong foot and still finding a way into the end zone. Those are all examples of athletic arrogance.
The question now becomes: Can he continue to develop and harness that trait at the NFL level?
The first step is simple—stay healthy.
If Tyson can do that, the rest should come naturally. His physical tools and instincts give him every opportunity to become the type of dynamic playmaker the Saints have been searching for.
