Indianapolis, IN — The Indianapolis Colts had been longing for a floor-raising pass catcher at tight end since Jack Doyle’s retirement following the 2022 season. After just missing out on eventual rookie phenom Brock Bowers in the 2024 NFL Draft, the clock reset, and fans continued their clamoring for a worthwhile product.
As fate would have it, the regularly-mocked consensus top tight end prospect the year following fell right into the laps of the Colts. Wasting no time in sending his draft card
in, the versatile Tyler Warren wound up right where he belonged after being selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
After spending the summer at Grand Park Sports Campus every day to cover the Colts training camp, it was apparent from the first day that Warren put his cleats on that he would have no trouble transitioning from the college ranks to the pros. Not only was his physique that of a prototypical in-line tight end, but his physicality and athleticism were on full display — even prior to putting the pads on.
Then, during his first live run of an NFL game, a preseason game, Warren started strong and never looked back. Hauling in every ball that came his way, it was evident that Warren was as pro-ready as he appeared when he was still sporting the Nittany Lion blue.
It would’ve been understandable for the preseason hype to dwindle as the real game arrived, but Tyler Warren had other plans for his regular-season debut. Being featured early and often, it wasn’t just a haphazard effort to get Warren involved; it was a calculated one. Daniel Jones found Warren on three separate occasions to kick off the Colts’ season offensively, and that connection never died down.
On the day, Warren posted the following stat line while dishing out a handful of NFL-caliber blocks in the run game: 8 touches (7 receptions on 9 targets, 1 rush) for 79 t0tal yards (76 receiving, 3 rushing), and 5 first downs gained.
The singular rush in question came on a 3rd and short and saw Warren surpass the line to gain with ease. Warren’s heroics and natural feel as a passcatcher were on full display, but the aspects that one would expect a rookie tight end to struggle with (i.e., run blocking, play strength) amidst acclimation were by no means a concern today. Perhaps I should’ve listened to my gut when, early on in the summer, I deemed Warren to be as pro-ready a prospect as I’d seen in recent memory, given the aforementioned acclimation is oftentimes hardest on young tight ends, but I’m more than happy to continue being impressed by the youngin’s talents.
