We are still less than two weeks away from the NFL Draft cycle kicking into high gear at the Scouting Combine, but the Kansas City Chiefs will be more interested in the top of the draft class than ever
with the ninth-overall selection.
The NFL scouting department at Bleacher Report authored a first-round mock draft that matched the Chiefs with one of the most polarizing players in the draft.
9. Kansas City Chiefs: WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
As long as Patrick Mahomes is at quarterback, the Kansas City Chiefs can compete at the highest level. Right now, he isn’t healthy and the team is coming off its worst season since he took over the offense.
As a result, the Chiefs have an opportunity to add a top talent and get everything back on track.
In this instance, they have their choice of wide receivers to give Mahomes a more consistent threat.Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson can be a dominant NFL wide receiver, as long as he remains healthy after suffering multiple collegiate injuries.
“Tyson’s medicals will be highly anticipated at the Scouting Combine in a few weeks,” Parson said. “Depending on those results, he’s the most skilled wide receiver in the draft. Tyson’s blend of dynamism, short-area quickness and route-running upside fits well with Andy Reid calling plays. The Chiefs need a potential difference-maker at wide receiver, and Tyson offers exactly that.”
My analysis
In this mock draft, Tyson is the first receiver off the board, with Carnell Tate of Ohio State still available. Those appear to be the most likely selections if Kansas City is motivated to draft a no.1 wide receiver for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
By consensus, USC wide receiver Makai Lemon is also in range of a top-10 pick, but he fits a similar mold to what the Chiefs have been employing at wide receiver.
Tate profiles as the downfield threat that the Chiefs need to unlock the deep pass attack again. He is great at the catch point, shows high-level awareness of body positioning on the sideline, and understands how to manipulate back-pedaling defensive backs.
There are a lot of positives to the 6-foot-3 playmaker, but Tate was the number-two receiver alongside phenom Jeremiah Smith, who will likely be one of the first picks in the 2027 NFL Draft. He excels against off-coverage that allows him free releases; he does not separate from tight coverage as easily as the Chiefs need from the ninth-overall selection.
On the other hand, Tyson flashes separation ability throughout the games he has played at Arizona State and Colorado over the last four years. He appears to be the strongest fit for what Kansas City desires to pair with receivers Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, but reviews of his medical history at the Combine could make or break Tyson’s stock.
As a freshman in 2022, Tyson played in nine games for the Buffaloes before tearing his ACL, MCL and PCL, forcing him to miss the remainder of that season and 2023. He transferred to play with the Sun Devils in 2024, became the number-one receiver over 12 games before suffering an upper-body injury that forced him to miss the Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff. It was later revealed to be a broken collarbone.
This past season, Tyson suffered a hamstring injury in October that forced him to miss time, then left the late-November game against Arizona due to injury.
The list of injuries could end up being a red flag, but the Chiefs have done their homework in prior draft classes to find talented players in this category, like right guard Trey Smith and left tackle Josh Simmons, even if each has different circumstances.
Does Tyson’s injury history scare you away from this pick? Do you prefer Tate or Lemon to boost the receiving corps? Let us know in the comments.
