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Drake Maye could receive more help at wideout in 2026.

While the New England Patriots added a No. 1 veteran wide receiver in Stefon Diggs this offseason, the need still exists to find a young elite pass catcher to pair with quarterback Drake Maye.

ESPN’s Matt Miller projects that the Patriots will go the receiver route in next year’s draft with Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson. Miller slotted the Patriots for the No. 8 pick based on ESPN’s Football Power Index.

“Upside is intriguing when devising summer mock drafts, and Tyson has the potential to rise into the top 10. At 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, he reminds me of Jaxon Smith-Njigba with his route-running ability and poise in space while effortlessly moving through a route tree,” Miller wrote on Monday. “Tyson broke out in 2024, catching 75 passes for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns. But drops are a problem, with eight coming on 114 targets.”

“If he cleans that up, Tyson has the speed and route technique to be a top-10 pick and a prime target for young Patriots QB Drake Maye, who has shown franchise potential,” Miller added.

The Patriots look primed to build around Maye, and much of the offseason has been about that on the offensive end. Maye  completed 66.6% of his passes for 2,276 yards and 15 touchdowns as a rookie last year.

Jordyn Tyson Developed Since Starting Off at Colorado

A  Texas native, Tyson started off at Colorado before the Deion Sanders era in 2022. Tyson had 22 catches for 470 yards and five touchdowns that year.

Tyson transferred to Arizona State the following year but sat out due to injury before his big 2024 season. His breakout season caught scouts’ attention amid third-team All-American honors and Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Tyson is known for his ability to separate, gain yards after the catch, blocking, make contested catches, and run fluid routes.

Jordyn Tyson the Third-Highest Ranked WR in College Football

Pro Football Focus ranks him third among returning wide receivers nationally.

“Tyson enjoyed a massive breakout year with the Sun Devils, tallying 1,098 yards as a redshirt sophomore,” PFF’s Max Chadwick wrote. “The only returning Power Four receiver who posted more was Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith.”

“Something clicked for the Colorado transfer in the second half of the season. In Arizona State’s final six games of the regular season, Tyson led the nation with 729 receiving yards and ranked second in the Power Four in yards per route run (4.03),” Chadwick continued. “He suffered a shoulder injury in Arizona State’s final regular-season game, which kept him out of the Big 12 title game and the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, the latter of which the Sun Devils lost in double overtime.”

In addition, Chadwick pointed out a factor regarding Tyson that Patriots fans will find promising in relation to Maye. Tyson is ready to compliment a quarterback such as Maye based on how things are developing at Arizona State.

“Tyson and Sam Leavitt (No. 2 in PFF’s quarterback rankings) form the best quarterback-receiver combo in college football heading into 2025,” Chadwick wrote. “If Arizona State is going to repeat as Big 12 champions, it’ll likely be because of those two.”

Matthew Davis covers the NFL, WNBA and college sports for Heavy.com. As a contributing writer to the StarTribune, he has also covered Minnesota prep sports since 2016. More about Matthew Davis