Walker Lyons TE USC |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #85 ROLE: Inline Multi-Role TE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.75 seconds (57%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 22.5 DOB: 03/13/2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jersey: #85 | |
| ROLE: Inline Multi-Role TE | |
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2027 | |
| Forty time: 4.75 seconds (57%*) | |
| Age: 22.5 DOB: 03/13/2004 | |
| Overall Rating: |
81.9 / 100
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
|
76% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 93.9 | |
| Hands: |
|
61% |
| Short Receiving: |
|
70% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
|
75% |
| Deep Threat: |
|
59% |
| Blocking: |
|
64% |
|
DRAFT PROJECTION:
5th
Overall Rank:
#143
Position rank:
#7 (TE)
|
||
| College Games: 23 College Snaps: 565 | ||
ESPN RATING: 84/100
|
||
|
247 RATING: 94/100
|
||
|
RIVALS RATING: 5.9 (97%)
|
||
| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cameron Latu - Alabama |
|
87% |
| Cade Otton - Washington |
|
85% |
| Brenton Strange - Penn State |
|
78% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Lyons put his football career on hold to serve a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Norway, arriving at USC in 2024 nearly two years removed from a live game. A Folsom, California, product, he was a coveted tight end who fielded 35 offers and earned Man of the Year at the All-American Bowl. He eased back into the game in 2024, catching a few passes while shaking off the rust.In 2025 Lyons caught 20 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns across twelve games, dropping just one ball while handling an inline blocking role. At six-foot-four, he flashed the size-and-movement blend that made him a recruiting prize, then transferred to BYU, a two-way tight end whose unusual layoff makes his development curve one to watch. The Man of the Year honor and the rare blocking-and-receiving blend keep his ceiling high as he resumes his career at BYU.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Caught twenty of twenty-six targets with one drop, quietly elite efficiency.
- Perfect three-for-three on contested chances, comfortable in traffic.
- Two-catch, 42-yard outing against Michigan was his best tape versus real length.
- All-American Bowl honoree whose four-star tools have barely been borrowed against.
- Mission-matured pro habits; staffs describe an older player's approach.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Never the featured option, 26 targets in twelve games as the clear number two.
- Average timed speed for a flex role, without the inline mass to compensate at 245.
- Church mission pushed his age ahead of his production curve.
- Entered the December portal with his destination unresolved, a live evaluation variable.
Scouting Report: Summary
The efficiency hints at a bigger role that never arrived. Lyons spent 2025 as USC's second tight end and turned 26 targets into twenty catches, 223 yards and two scores with a single drop, going a perfect three-for-three on contested throws and saving his best tape for Michigan's length. The All-American Bowl pedigree and a Latter-day Saints mission give the file an unusual shape: four-star tools, professional habits, and a birth certificate running about two years ahead of the football resume.The unknowns outnumber the knowns. He has never carried a passing-game load, the timed speed is average for a flex profile and the 245-pound frame is light for a living made inline, so his NFL role requires projection in both directions. The age that makes him mature also shortens the development runway, and his December portal entry, destination unresolved as of this writing, leaves even the 2026 platform unsettled.
What can be said is that nothing in the small sample argues against him: the hands are real, the traffic courage is real, and second tight ends who catch 77 percent of their targets usually earn bigger shares. A feature season wherever he lands would push him squarely into draftable range; without one, the sure-handed efficiency and special teams frame still buy a camp. The projection is a late-round watch with honest sleeper credentials.
How other scouting services rate Walker Lyons (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
206.5
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
10.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.