Titans could hesitate on Jordyn Tyson for reasons beyond his checkered medical past

When you read Jordyn Tyson’s scouting report from most draft analysts out there, the negatives of his profile usually start and end with the injury concerns. For example,Daniel Jeremiah’s newest big board update had Tyson at 17, saying “Durability was an issue throughout his college career -- that's the only factor keeping him from a higher grade/projection”. 

While we believe Tyson is a good wide receiver prospect who deserves to be taken somewhere in the first round, the idea that Tyson should be in consideration for the Tennessee Titans with the 4th overall pick doesn’t align with what we've identified on tape.

All across the draft community, there’s a tendency for many analysts to lump flashy movement skills together with true route running ability. Tyson is explosive and runs excellent routes at times, but he’s not nearly as detailed of a route runner as other top prospects Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon, or even compared to someone like KC Concepcion. 

Titans should not consider drafting WR Jordyn Tyson at No. 4 overall

Tyson has the technique and athleticism, but lacks craft in the execution of his routes and releases that is required to be great in the NFL. He plays at full speed all the time, which can be a good thing, but also leads to defenders easily predicting his movements. He needs to improve at running his routes in a way that takes advantage of the technique his defender is using. It often looks like Tyson is just running routes as they’re drawn up in the playbook rather than according to how he’s being defended.

Failing to develop these finer details of route running is part of what leads to gifted athletes failing in the NFL. Jalen Reagor, Kadarius Toney and Xavier Legette are all examples of highly drafted athletes who failed to grasp the art of route running. We're not comparing Tyson to these players by any means, as he shows far more flashes of nuance than any of those prospects, but he does share some degree of their flaws. 

Another aspect of Tyson’s game to monitor is his work after the catch. He should be excellent in this area, but his athleticism just doesn’t translate after the catch because he lacks the wide array of ball carrier moves you’d expect from this type of player. 

One thing that separates Tyson from some of the recent busts at this position is his ability to recognize zone coverage. Even though he fails to run routes against man coverage with the nuance you'd prefer to see, this is not the case against zone. He’s one of the most skilled zone receivers in this class, which makes his floor pretty high and has me optimistic about his development.  

There’s no question that Tyson has the potential to be a great receiver, and I wouldn’t be totally shocked if he winds up being the best from this class. But when you combine his injury history with the legitimate concerns on his tape, that’s not a bet I’d want to make early in the first round.