Jordyn Tyson carries more risk than Chiefs should be comfortable taking at No. 9

For much of their decade-long run of AFC playoff appearances, the Kansas City Chiefs have struggled to find consistent success at wide receiver. The organization has poured notable draft resources into the position—spending a first-round pick and three second-round selections—but those investments have rarely developed into impact players.

It is well known that one of the Chiefs' biggest needs this offseason comes at wide receiver, where they have struggled to find consistency for almost a half-decade. Since Dwayne Bowe’s Pro Bowl season in 2010, the only Chiefs wide receiver to earn a Pro Bowl selection is Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs have relied heavily on Travis Kelce to be their primary pass catcher, but with him likely heading into the last year of his NFL career, Brett Veach knows he has to solve the Chiefs' receiver woes, and fast.

Fortunately for Kansas City, the 2026 class is strong at receiver, and the depth of talent extends from top to bottom. The Chiefs have not made any significant changes at receiver this offseason, and it has become a very real possibility that the Chiefs will spend one of their top draft picks on a pass catcher. But one of the top options for the Chiefs, Jordyn Tyson, may come with a little too much risk for a team that desperately needs to find some consistency in their receiver room going forward.

Depending on who you talk to, some draft analysts (including myself) will tell you Tyson is the most talented receiver in the 2026 class. But there is one major issue that has plagued Tyson's entire football career... injuries. In his college career, Tyson has missed 48% of his college games, an astounding amount that has raised concerns across the NFL community.

Jordan Tyson is a great player with a lot of red flags the Chiefs just cannot ignore,

The most substantial injury for Tyson came in 2022, when he suffered a devastating knee injury, tearing his ACL, MCL, and PCL. This injury knocked Tyson out for most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and his extensive recovery from the injury has been a focus for many top scouts. Tyson returned to the field in 2024, where he showed up as one of the nation's top receivers, but missed the end of the season after he fractured his collarbone late in the year.

Tyson hoped for 2025 to be a big year, to break out and show everyone what he could do when he was at 100%. But yet again, injuries held Tyson out, and a nagging hamstring issue kept him from playing in more than two games after the start of November. The hamstring has been an issue for Tyson ever since and has flared up in the offseason, preventing him from participating in both the Combine and the ASU pro day, which is very concerning to NFL scouts.

Tyson has scheduled a private pre-draft workout for April 17, much later than scouts would have hoped, but it will be incredibly important nonetheless. Reports suggest Tyson may still not be ready to run, and if he is unable to test before draft day, it will significantly tank his draft stock. Tyson's testing will be especially important for a team like the Chiefs, who, simply put, cannot afford to miss at receiver again this offseason.

When he is 100%, Tyson is far and away the best receiver in this draft, and if you had told me before the season the Chiefs would have a shot at him, I would have been over the moon. But if Tyson does not test pre-draft, the Chiefs should stay way away and shift their focus to adding the most reliable receiver they can get their hands on.

If Tyson tests prior to the draft and looks good, like he is back to full strength, the Chiefs may reconsider. But even if he looks good, his injury history is concerning and raises a lot of red flags for his future as an NFL player. The Chiefs absolutely cannot afford to swing and miss at receiver again this offseason, and Tyson may come with a few too many red flags for the Chiefs to be comfortable adding him at the top of the 2026 NFL Draft.