Is Jordyn Tyson the Next Keenan Allen? 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report & SPS Grade

Updated May 25, 2026

Keenan Allen was a third-round pick (No. 76 overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Cal, taken by the San Diego Chargers and turned into a legendary receiver who piled up more than 1,000 catches and 12,000 receiving yards. For a decade he aligned at all three receiver spots, shredded defenses, and stacked 100-catch seasons as a quarterback’s most reliable answer. The New Orleans Saints just selected Jordyn Tyson with the No. 8 overall pick in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. The 6’2″, 203-pound Arizona State product posted an 85.3 PFF Grade for Pass Routes in 2025, and earned 2x First-team All-Big 12 selections across 2024 and 2025.

Tyson’s Profile

Tyson is not known for being a burner, and that is why the Allen comp may fit better than any speed-merchant projection. New Orleans spent the No. 8 overall pick on that profile, betting on technique over pure speed. But will Tyson’s analytics share the same sentiment as the film analysts who determined the technician profile as fitting for him? Further, will he score high enough to make the top 10 all-time WR SPS list?

The Film Breakdown: Pros & Cons

We all should be looking at both film and analytics as we know they go hand-in-hand. The following consensus film critiques are derived from looks into Tyson’s game film. These highlight the positive and negative traits New Orleans just bought into with a No. 8 overall pick:

The Pros (The “Elite” Upside)

• Explosive Route Runner With Long-Jump Athleticism: PFF’s 2026 draft guide says Tyson “brings his long-jump explosiveness to the football field” and is “one of the better intermediate route runners in the class,” (PFF)
• Twitchy Separator With Strong Ball Skills: Bleacher Report’s scouting report calls him a twitchy route runner who “consistently wins leverage and creates separation,” with “strong ball skills at the catch point” and late hands that allow him to win through contact. Saints quarterback Tyler Shough has already called him “an elite separator”. (Bleacher Report)
• Sells Routes Vertically Before The Break: CBS Sports highlights his ability to sell routes vertically before breaking off comebacks and in-breakers” and someone who did a “Good job tracking the ball downfield; sure-handed in 2025.” (CBS Sports)

The Cons (The Refinement Needs)

• Significant Injury History: CBS Sports flags that Tyson “suffered season-ending knee and collarbone injuries in 2023 and 2024,” on top of a 2022 multi-ligament knee injury at Colorado and a 2025 hamstring issue – and PFF notes durability has “impacted each of his four collegiate seasons.” (CBS Sports, PFF)
• Inconsistent Blocking Effort: PFF says he can be effective as a blocker but his “effort in that area is inconsistent,” earning a 4/10 trait grade in play strength, blocking that scheme fits will need to work on. (PFF)

Keenan Allen slid to the third round in 2013 and had to earn his snaps before becoming the Chargers’ main volume target; Tyson walks in as the No. 8 overall pick and an immediate runway in New Orleans. On the Saints’ depth chart, Chris Olave is the established WR1 and Devaughn Vele rounds out the room, but the high-value separator role opposite Olave was wide open before this pick. Allen built a Pro Bowl resume catching passes from the slot and the boundary, and that is precisely the role a No. 8 overall rookie can inherit in an offense rebuilding around its passing game. The fantasy ceiling is a high-volume PPR target who lives in the intermediate middle of the field. That is exactly the kind of weekly-floor receiver dynasty managers covet and the Round 1 capital guarantees the snaps will be there. Whether he can execute enough to become a long term producer for New Orleans is the ultimate question.

What Is Jordyn Tyson’s SPS Grade?

For those of you who aren’t familiar, The Star-Predictor Score (SPS) is a scouting tool designed to maximize investment potential and reduce risks when drafting rookies in Fantasy Football. It is proven to have a higher accuracy than draft capital alone to predict fantasy football success. The SPS includes 13 to 17 metrics, with the exact number varying by the player’s position. All metrics are pre-NFL – and some are proprietary to BrainyBallers – providing a complete analysis of a player’s analytical profile. The SPS gained widespread notoriety for its high accuracy, having made it on Barstool and The Pat McAfee Show. The SPS database can be found here, and future projected SPS grades can be unlocked here.

As the Pat McAfee crew noted when reviewing our top 10 all-time prospects graphic: “They haven’t missed… those are all the guys they predicted would be stars and they hit on all of them.” 

The Verdict

Can Jordyn Tyson’s path lead him from oft-injured college player to a Keenan Allen-style separation machine for the next decade, now that New Orleans has staked the No. 8 overall pick on him? The film points to real upside as a route runner, leverage manipulator, and ball-skills technician who wins without elite speed. The landing spot – a high-value role opposite Chris Olave, top-10 draft capital in Kellen Moore’s offense – is undeniable. The Star-Predictor Score (SPS) measures the 17 pre-NFL metrics that separate dynasty WR1s from dynasty WR3s, independent of all subjectivity. The answer to where Tyson’s official SPS grade falls is one click away. Is his profile built to be the next Keenan Allen?