The Rams may be having doubts over selecting this elite wide receiver in 2026

The Los Angeles Rams and every other team in the NFL are well aware that top rookie receiver prospect Jordyn Tyson has an extensive injury history. Despite lingering health concerns, however, his sheer talent and impressive film tape have kept him in the top 15 in most mock drafts. And how concerning is his durability?

This is the time when NFL teams leak misinformation to throw other teams off the scent.

Jordan Tyson is projected to fall within the Rams' range at No. 13 on the clock, where they should have a keen interest in drafting a receiver. Tyson is a possible target, but he is also a gamble due to uncertainty on the injury front. 

But to be fair, a similar injury-prone reputation clouded the prospects of wide receiver Jaxon-Smith Njigba leading up to his draft.

If anyone thought such misgivings were overblown, liable to fade as the draft approached, The Athletic's Dane Brugler dropped some tidbits to the contrary, as captured in a clip posted by sports injury analyst Jeff Mueller.

Still bothered by a hamstring strain sustained in October, Tyson did not work out at the NFL Combine. Per Brugler, he will not attend ASU Pro Day on March 27, either. Perhaps most concerningly, Brugler noted that Tyson's injury" spiked during training." Not ideal.

This isn't the reassurance NFL franchises hoped to get. For the Rams, it should sound the alarm bells if they weren't tingling already.

Tyson's injury issues are dragging on too long for comfort

Scouts haven't seen Tyson in action since November 28 against Arizona. Before that, he hurt both hamstrings on October 18 versus Texas Tech, but finished out the game and recorded over 100 receiving yards. It was over a month before he next played, however, and he missed bowl season.

That's just last year. Tyson's injury track record includes a major knee injury as a Colorado freshman, which limited him to three games next season at Arizona State. He broke his collarbone as a junior. His hamstring issues in 2025 cost him four games in total.

Setbacks happen, but the fact that Tyson is still dealing with his most recent injury could be a red flag, particularly in that he won't be there at Pro Day. "That is quite some time for a grade 2 strain to heal….," Mueller observed.

The Rams can't afford to draft a player who won't contribute immediately due to injury. A rookie contributor is what most teams want out of a high first-round pick, anyway. LA would draft Tyson to fill the hole at No. 3 receiver right away.

Unfortunately, he hasn't proved that he is past his latest injury, let alone dispelled fears over whether he could stay healthy throughout his NFL career. 

What about the precedent set by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whose own hamstring injury cost him most of his final year at Ohio State? Despite the injury, Smith-Njigba ended up going 20th overall in the following draft, en route to winning the 2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year for Seattle. That example could temper skepticism in Tyson's situation.

There are important discrepancies. Tyson's injury history is far more extensive, another point Mueller touched on. Injuries have marred every season of his college career. On top of that, Smith-Njigba was a different kind of dominant, pacing the Big Ten with 95 catches and 1,605 receiving yards in 2021. And still fell to 20th overall in the draft.

That's not to say that Tyson isn't an impressive prospect in his own right, highlighted by a 1,100-yard season in 2024. Compared to someone like Makai Lemon, his size at 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds makes him more of an outside threat.   

That said, Lemon's all-around playmaking and production would be hard to pass up if he is available at No. 13. If he's not and Tyson's stock dips, perhaps the Rams would consider trading back to take Tyson later on in the first round, acquiring additional draft capital to help cushion the risk. After this latest update, that might be the only context in which La should feel confident gambling on his injuries.