Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner put together the kind of sophomore season that forces NBA teams to take notice. He raised his draft stock in a big way last year, but not enough to leave college early.
Now he’s back for a third season with Vanderbilt, and the next step is obvious: keep climbing. If he does, he could push himself into first-round territory in the 2027 NBA Draft.
If he doesn’t, he’s looking at another year in school.
The challenge starts with the obvious limitation. Tanner is just a shade under 6-foot and doesn’t have the kind of bulky build or extreme length that can smooth over that drawback. He does bring a plus 6-foot-4 wingspan, but his game is still built mostly on athleticism.
That athleticism is real, though. Tanner is an explosive guard who plays bigger than his frame, using quick reactions, burst in space and a high-flying style to make his presence felt.
He was especially disruptive on defense. Even with his offensive leap in Year 2, Tanner remained a sharp defensive play-maker, averaging 2.4 steals per game after posting 1.7 as a freshman. He gets into passing lanes, digs at the ball on the perimeter and turns those stops into transition chances.
The scoring jump was just as loud. Tanner averaged 19.5 points per game last season and shot 49% from the field overall, making him one of the more productive scorers in the country.
He didn’t do it one way, either. Tanner scored in transition, knocked down spot-up looks and created for himself out of the pick-and-roll.
He also made life easier for everyone else around him. Tanner averaged 5.1 assists per game while keeping his turnovers down to just 1.9, a strong sign of how well he balanced aggression with control.
That combination made him a high-impact player on both ends.
The shooting numbers also took a meaningful step forward. Tanner took far more threes in Year 2 and hit them at a 37% clip. That’s a good start, but for NBA teams to view him as a real rotational option, the volume and the efficiency both probably need to get even better.
That’s what makes Tanner such a tricky evaluation for 2027. There isn’t a giant leap left for him to make outside of steady growth, and he already ranks among the country’s best all-around impact players.
Still, his size will keep him from landing near the very top of the class. With the 2027 draft reportedly not especially strong, Tanner could end up as a safe mid-to-late first-round option.
In Other News...
Vanderbilt Is Near A Quarterback Decision That Could Shape Everything
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Lea has made clear what the staff is weighing, with ball security, playmaking ability and the best chance to win all sitting near the top of the list. For Vanderbilt, this is about more than choosing a name atop the depth chart. It is the kind of decision that can shape the tone of an entire season, and the final call will say plenty about what the staff believes this offense needs most right now. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilts Offensive Depth Chart Battle Is Finally Starting To Tighten
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Across the board, the offense turned in a mixed showing, with some quarterbacks and running backs flashing in limited action while others either had quiet days or were not available. For a team still trying to define roles, that kind of uneven afternoon is part of the process, and it leaves the real intrigue in how the pecking order settles over the next stretch of camp. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Defense Just Sent A Mixed But Intriguing Message Before Week 1
Vanderbilts second and final preseason scrimmage at FirstBank Stadium offered a useful look at where the defense stands heading into Week 1. The focus was squarely on that side of the ball, and the results were mixed enough to feel encouraging without being fully settled. The defensive line had its ups and downs against the run, but there was a clear step forward in handling perimeter runs, which has been an emphasis throughout camp.
Behind that front, the scrimmage gave the Commodores a chance to sort through both veterans and depth players at linebacker and in the secondary. Getting those live reps mattered as much as the snaps themselves, because the staff is still learning which combinations hold up best when the season starts to count. The message from the day was less about a finished product than about a defense that has pieces in place, even if a few spots are still waiting to be clarified. [Read more 🡒]