It was smart of Tyler Warren to spend hang around Happy Valley for his final year of eligibility because the redshirt senior tight end had a breakout year under first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
Warren didn’t just win the Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end with his 104 catches for 1,233 yards and 12 total touchdowns along Penn State’s run to the College Football Playoff semifinal, he also finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting. Warren was the first tight end to crack the top 10 in Heisman voting since Notre Dame’s Ken McAfee in 1977.
Now, coming off his historic year in which he played nearly every position in Kotelnicki’s offense and recorded a receiving, rushing, and passing touchdown, Penn State’s do-it-all superstar is a surefire first-round pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. So, here’s a look at where the experts have Warren going this spring.
Bucky Brooks, NFL.com (January, 29)
The Colts are going all out to save Anthony Richardson’s career and adding a dynamic tight end who can create with the ball in his hands may not be the worst idea. Kylen Grnason led the Colts tight ends in receiving with 182 yards last season and Indianapolis hasn’t had a good tight end since Jack Doyle and Eric Ebron in 2018 and 2019.
Eric Edholm, NFL.com (January, 31)
You’d be hard pressed to find a mock draft with Warren going higher than No. 5 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. If first-time head coach Liam Coen is going to resurrect Trevor Lawrence’s career then adding a playmaker like Warren to the offense after former GM Trent Balke drafted Brian Thomas Jr. a year ago, would be a step in the right direction. The last tight end draft in the top 10 was Kyle Pitts who went No. 4 overall to the Falcons in 2021 and before that it was TJ Hockenson in 2019, No. 8 overall to the Lions.
Nate Tice/Charles McDonald, Yahoo Sports (January, 29)
Warren’s most common landing spot in mock drafts is Indianapolis and Tice and McDonald, hosts of the Football 301 podcast agree. Dallas Goedert thrived with current Colts head coach Shane Steichen when he was the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia, so it could be a good fit.
Josh Edwards, CBS Sports (January, 30)
The Falcons have made the mistake of reaching for a tight end too high in the draft when they grabbed Pitts at No. 4, but taking Warren at No. 15 is a different story entirely. For starters, Warren has true tight end size and blocks well enough that he’s not just an oversized wide receiver, and the middle of the first round is a much better spot to draft a position that rarely makes its way into the top half of Round 1.