Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
The Indianapolis Colts selected Penn State University tight end Tyler Warren with the 14th pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night, filling a void they have had since two-time Pro Bowler Jack Doyle retired after the 2021 season.
The most glaring offensive need heading into this offseason was the lack of a play-making tight end. Indy has not had a tight end crack the 500-yard mark in a single season since Eric Ebron in 2018. The Colts ranked 17th in the league last season with 22.2 points and finished 25th in passing yards at 197.7 per game.
“Sometimes you’re a little lucky,” Colts General manager Chris Ballard said. “He’s a good pick for us, adds toughness to our team. The last time I felt this good about a (No. 1) pick — and I liked all of them—was (guard) Quenton Nelson. Like it was easy.”
In fact, Ballard acknowledged Warren is a lot like Nelson, the perennial All-Pro guard—right down to his quiet demeanor and dominant play.
If Warren becomes the dynamic, versatile player he was last season at Penn State, the Colts will have more than a security-blanket type receiver over the middle.
He could help quarterback Anthony Richardson fulfill the promise Colts scouts saw in him when they took him No. 4 overall in 2023. Last season, though, he had worst completion percentage of any starter in the NFL, at 47.7%.
That prompted general manager Chris Ballard to sign free agent quarterback Daniel Jones, the No. 6 overall selection in 2019 by the New York Giants, to challenge Richardson for the starting job.
Warren won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end and also was named the 2024 Big Ten Conference Tight End of the Year.
“He can do a lot now,” Ballard said. “He can play multiple spots. He has the quarterback background, he can play in the backfield, he’s a great 50-50 ball catcher and he’s violent after the catch. He brings an element of toughness I thought we needed offensively. I think (coach) Shane (Steichen) will find unique ways to use him.”
Warren toiled playing in relative anonymity his first three seasons with the Nittany Lions before catching 34 passes for 412 yards in 2023.
Then last season, he became a national phenomenon. He caught 104 passes for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns, had 26 carries for 218 yards and four TDs while also completing 3 of 6 passes for 35 yards and one TD as the Nittany Lions reached the College Football Playoff semifinals.
He won the Big Ten receptions title and against Pittman’s alma mater, Warren finished with 17 catches for 224 yards—tying the FBS single-game record for receptions in a game while becoming just the second tight end in Big Ten history to top 200 yards in a game.
And now he could be lining up part-time in a backfield featuring 2021 NFL rushing champ Jonathan Taylor and a dangerous running quarterback in Richardson.
“He just dominated the (Southern Cal) game in a way you didn’t see any other player in college football last year,” Ballard said. “He caught 17 balls on the road and they know he’s getting the ball and they just kept feeding it to him. He’s a unique player. I’m really excited.”
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.