New Orleans drafted Tyson to be its long-term answer at the position, and the plan hasn't changed so much as it's been paused. He tweaked the hamstring in a joint practice against Jacksonville, slipped catching a ball and took contact from behind, and coach Kellen Moore has been careful to note this one isn't connected to the injury that dogged him before the draft. That distinction matters less than the pattern: this is the same body part, for the fourth time in four years, and it's now expected to keep him off the field into the heart of the season.
When healthy, Tyson wins with details, not with a track meet. He's a technician who separates with footwork and timing rather than pure speed, and he was as good against man coverage as anyone in his draft class. He moved around the formation at Arizona State -- outside, in the slot, in motion -- and produced from all of it, which is exactly the kind of versatility that lets an offense scheme him a favorable release instead of hoping he wins a foot race. At the catch point he plays bigger than a track-speed receiver has any right to, climbing the ladder on contested throws and boxing out corners in coverage. It's a game built for play-action and intermediate route concepts, not one that needs him to blow the top off a defense.
The honest problem is that the tape has never come with a full season attached to it. He missed time in each of the last several years, dropped a handful of catchable balls in his best college season, and now enters his rookie year having already proven the doubters right before he's played a snap. A receiver who wins on precision needs reps to sync with his quarterback, and precision is the first thing rehab reps don't give you. If this becomes a recurring theme instead of a one-off, the route-running upside stops mattering because he's never on the field long enough to use it.
Jerry Jeudy is the cleaner bet in the same range right now, and not because he's flashier. He's a similarly built technician who wins with releases and footwork rather than speed, but he's already penciled in as Cleveland's primary target and capable of sliding inside to the slot where he did his best college work. He's had inconsistent seasons, but he's had them on the field. Tyson's ceiling as a route runner is arguably higher, but a receiver who can't suit up isn't beating anybody, and until the hamstring is actually behind him, Jeudy is the one you know is playing.
