There are a few small school prospects in this year’s NFL Draft class. There might not be another prospect who flew up draft boards quite like John Carroll’s Tyren Montgomery. The Division III All-American tore it up, then continued his impressive play at the Senior Bowl. Will it be enough for a team to use a pick on him on Day 3?
2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Tyren Montgomery
Measurables
Height: 5′ 11″
Weight: 204 pounds
Arms: 32.38″
Hands: 8.88″
40-yard: 4.59
Vertical: 35.5″
Broad jump: 10′ 8″
RAS: 6.84
School: John Carroll
Tyren Montgomery NFL Draft Overview
To say Montgomery took the long way to the NFL would be an understatement. Initially, out of The Woodlands, Texas, Montgomery did not play football. Instead, he was a basketball star and walked on to play basketball for LSU in 2019. However, he didn’t get to even appear in a game as he returned home due to academic issues, as well as his mother falling ill.
After playing backyard football with his brother, Montgomery tried his hand at flag football for a Miami-based team. He tried his hand at walking on again, this time for football at Houston, but nothing came of it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, as a result, he made a highlight tape of his flag football days. Most teams passed on him due to the fact that he had never played tackle football. However, Nicholls State (FCS) took a chance on him.
In his first season in 2022, he sat out due to eligibility issues. Finally, for his final season of Division-I eligibility, he appeared in eight games for Nicholls State and amassed 171 yards on 12 catches.
As a result, he transferred to John Carroll, a Division III program in University Heights, Ohio. In 2024, he emerged as the top receiver for the Blue Streaks, leading the way with 1,071 yards and setting the program record with 17 touchdowns. He earned first-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors.
Last year, he got even better. In 14 games, Montgomery amassed 1,528 yards and 15 touchdowns on 119 receptions. He led the Blue Streaks to the D-III Semifinals, dispatching D-III juggernaut Mount Union in the process. Montgomery earned All-American honors as well.
He was initially invited as the only D-III player at the American Bowl. After standing out there, he was invited as the only D-III player at the Senior Bowl.
Strengths
- Solid size as a slot option
- Harder to tackle than you’d think
- Body control and ability to win jump balls is solid as a former basketball player
- Sneaky YAC guy
- Was the far and away number one at John Carroll and still produced
- Can align and win from anywhere
- Is more athletic than his testing would suggest
- Looked really good at the Senior Bowl
Weaknesses
- Competition level concerns, naturally
- Was he just a whale in a koi pond in Division III?
- Only has three seasons of football experience
- Will turn 25 in July
- Not to be trusted as a blocker
- 4.59 speed isn’t blowing by anyone in the NFL
Projection: Seventh Round
Best Fits: Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns
Bottom Line on Tyren Montgomery
The end of the draft is all about taking chances, right? Montgomery looks like a fun project for a team wanting to see what the D-III star has in him.
As a player, his testing and tape tend to tell two different stories. Of course, when you’re playing at such a low level, it makes sense. Of course, against the toughest competition, he stepped up. In 2024, against Mount Union, Montgomery turned three catches into 45 yards and a score. That same year, he torched Ohio Northern for his career-high with 176 yards and three touchdowns. Last year, John Carroll met Mount Union in the playoffs, and Montgomery led the way with 90 receiving yards in a defensive battle that had to be decided in overtime. In the following two playoff games, he added nine catches for 126 yards in the quarterfinals, and 136 yards and a touchdown in the semifinals loss.
He can line up wherever he needs to, but an offense is going to need to figure out just what works with him. He doesn’t have the speed to fly by defenders, but he has the body control and high-pointing ability from basketball.
In a draft full of feel-good stories and guys you just root for, Montgomery is a great one to watch if you enjoy the lower levels of football.
