What to Know About Tyren Montgomery, The D3 Breakout Star of Senior Bowl Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft

Wide receiver Tyren Montgomery out of Division III John Carroll University is turning heads at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama this week. Here's a look at a few examples below.

Via PFF's Trevor Sikkema: "His athleticism and ball skills have made him one of the top performers. He runs routes explosively and has bested almost every cornerback on jump balls. He is absolutely getting a NFL combine invite at this point, as his draft story is just beginning."

ESPN's Jordan Reid and PFSN's Ian Cummings also provided thoughts.

Montgomery is a unique story, as told by Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports.

He was a basketball star in high school and went to LSU in the fall of 2019 to walk onto the Tigers but left after a semester when his mother fell ill. Then the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world in March 2020. Montgomery was unsure of his next steps.

"Basketball wasn't in the vision anymore," Montgomery said. "Everything was shut down. I had to figure out what I wanted to do with my life."

To make a very long story short, Montgomery picked up football after the influence from his little brother Kam. Montgomery went on a few different stops over the next few years: University of Houston in hopes of walking onto the football team, Las Vegas to play in a flag football tournament, Nicholls State where he sat out the 2022 football season.

Montgomery did get his shot with Nicholls State in 2023, and he even started five games before an ankle sprain derailed his momentum.

He then transferred to John Carroll, and that's where he finally broke out, catching 57 passes for 1,071 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2024 before adding 119 receptions for 1,528 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2025. John Carroll rolled all the way to the national semifinals last year with Montgomery leading the aerial attack.

Now the 6'1", 185-pound Montgomery, who turns 25 on July 3, hoping to continue his story in the NFL draft. He's clearly made a good impression in the Senior Bowl, and he should get an opportunity to showcase his talents in Indianapolis next month at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.