The Opening Drive 4/20: The Browns Would Be Chasing Ultimate Upside with Jordyn Tyson
The injury-riddled Arizona State star is the toughest choice the Browns have to make.
We’ve seen both Makai Lemon and Jordyn Tyson both teased as top names in this year’s class and then perceived to be sliding down boards as well. While that sums up the draft process as a whole, it doesn’t make things any easier on the Browns who have to nail their two first-round picks this year. Tyson is an enigma to say the least. His recent Instagram post where he shows off his freaky change-of-direction and jumping skills made everyone remember just how stellar the tape is and pushed those injury concerns to the back of the mind. It was the perfect “Week of the Draft” type of drop to remind the NFL what he can do.
Tyson played at Colorado and then Arizona State and missed roughly a third of the games for which he has been eligible over his college career. He also has tape that made me lean forward in my chair and a skill set that forces defenses to gameplan around him. The question is not whether he can become on of the better players at his position in the NFL, the question is how many Sundays he will actually be available to do it.
The backstory matters here because it shapes the risk calculation so completely. Tyson signed with Colorado and immediately made an impact as a true freshman in 2022, leading the Buffaloes in receiving with 22 catches for 470 yards and four touchdowns and becoming the first Colorado freshman in school history to score a receiving touchdown in the season opener. Then a knee injury ended his season in November.
He transferred to Arizona State, spent 2023 as a redshirt recovering from that injury while working under wide receivers coach Hines Ward, and finally broke through in 2024. He erupted for 75 catches, 1,101 yards, and 10 touchdowns, earning third-team AP All-America honors and Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year recognition — before a collarbone injury suffered in the regular season finale cut that campaign short and forced him to miss the Big 12 Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. In 2025, hamstring issues limited him to nine games and 61 catches for 711 yards with eight touchdowns. A different injury each year. The production, when present, has been undeniable. The availability has not.
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