One of the most anticipated rookies in the NFL this year is Indianapolis Colts‘ tight end Tyler Warren. That’s probably because of his first-round draft status and potential impact on fantasy football seasons. The latter can’t be discounted in terms of fan and media attention, because Mason Graham could be the next Aaron Donald for the Cleveland Browns, but the general public doesn’t really care until he dominates for a couple of years.
So, Warren will get plenty of attention and ESPN’s Ben Solak is the latest to give him some. In his Monday article “2025 NFL training camp: Lessons, updates from 10 team visits,” Solak says that Colts possibly view Warren the same way that the Las Vegas Raiders see last year’s first-round pick Brock Bowers.
“One thing I heard: Last year, a rookie tight end named Brock Bowers led his team in targets. (He also did way more impressive things, such as setting a rookie tight end receiving yardage record, but focus on the targets right now.) I wondered if the Colts’ front office believes rookie tight end Tyler Warren, another guy who specializes in turning quick touches into big gains with yards after the catch, could do the same,” Solak writes.
Sure, let’s compare a guy who has never played a down in the NFL to Bowers, who set records last season for most receptions by a rookie tight end (112), most receiving yards by a rookie tight end (1,194) and most receptions by any rookie (112).
Solak thinks Tyler Warren could indeed be that guy
Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen recently compared Warren to Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates. Sure, why not? Let’s keep the comparisons going. Solak believes that Warren indeed does have Bowers’ potential.
“There is no hiding the excitement in Indianapolis for having a legitimate talent at tight end for the first time in years,” Solak continues. “I’m not sure Warren will get enough routes to actually lead the team in targets, as he’ll be used plenty as a blocker even on passing downs.
“But there is a large chapter of the Colts’ playbook that has opened up exclusively because Warren is in the building. He’s going to get his — third down, red zone, two-minute drives. And if he produces early, expect the portion of the pie that is schemed up for him to grow and grow.”
Warren can block, but once that offense starts to stall…did you watch any Penn State last year? I’ll bet the Colts’ brass did.
Tyler Warren getting decent reviews so far
Of course it’s still early and no meaningful NFL games are played in August. But, so far so good for Warren. After the first preseason game, CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso gave him a B+ grade.
“After getting walloped on his first catch for 6 yards from Anthony Richardson, he withstood a big hit after making his second catch that went for 11 yards,” Trapasso wrote of his performance against the Baltimore Ravens. “Then, he finished his afternoon with a showcase of his smooth speed on a shallow cross for 23 yards.”
It’s a very small sample size, but a B+ is better than an F-.
Sydney Ciano of Victory Bell Rings (it’s a Penn State news outlet and trust me when I say Penn State people are very pro Penn State. My ex-wife went there and it really wasn’t worth it to bring up the name ‘Joe Paterno.’ Trust me on this) also gave Warren high marks for his second preseason game.
“Against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, Aug. 16, Warren did his job regardless of how on point the quarterback was,” Ciano writes. ” Nearly midway through the first quarter, the Penn State product went right by two Green Bay defenders, safety Kitan Oladapo and linebacker Isaiah Simmons. If Daniel Jones didn’t overthrow the pass, it likely would’ve been Warren sailing all the way to the end zone never mind a completion on third-and-13.”
Get used to that last sentence, it might just be the biggest reason this is the last time we compare Warren to Bowers for a long time.
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