The introduction of player compensation to college basketball has severely thinned out the second round of the NBA Draft, which could bode well for Cade Tyson's chances of getting drafted after one season with the Gophers.Tyson was 84th on ESPN's 2026 NBA Draft big board in April, but a lot has happened since then. We've seen numerous draft prospects, such as Braylon Mullins and Patrick Ngongba II, announce their returns to college. That list grew on Wednesday with players like Jeremy Fears Jr. and Andrej Stojakovic withdrawing their names as well. The pool of potential second-round picks has shrunk dramatically.Tyson participated in the Portsmouth Invitational in April and the NBA G League Combine in May, so he's clearly on the radar of numerous NBA teams. Tyson is now the 76th-best prospect on ESPN's latest big board. He's still on the outside looking in for many other big boards, but all it takes is one team. He averaged 19.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season on super efficient 50.0% shooting from the field, 41.3% from three and 82.2% from the free throw line.Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Cade Tyson (10) shoots a free throw against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesAt 6-foot-7, you could quickly talk yourself into Tyson having a similar developmental path at the next level as players such as Max Strus, who's 6-foot-5, or Duncan Robinson, who's 6-foot-7. Tyson is a career 42.0% three-point shooter on 4.1 attempts per game. He proved that his lone season at North Carolina was a fluke. Minnesota doesn't have a long history of producing NBA Draft picks this millennium. Since 2000, the school has produced just five NBA Draft picks. Cameon Christie was the latest, as a second-round pick in 2024; Daniel Oturu was a second-rounder in 2020, and then, Rick Rickert, Kris Humphries and Joel Pryzbilla all heard their names called in the early 2000s. Tyson finds himself in a pretty similar situation to Dawson Garcia a year ago, who signed with the Detroit Pistons as an undrafted free agent (UDFA). As an older prospect with not much athletic upside, Tyson could have a similar fate as a UDFA, but it feels like the second round could be even thinner this year compared to last year's class. Niko Medved produced two first-round picks at Colorado State with David Roddy and Nique Clifford. Developing Tyson into a second-round pick after just one season in the program would be quite the feather in Medved's cap to begin his Gophers tenure.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow