The worst nightmare for any NFL prospect is spending draft night stuck in the green room as they slide out of the first round. There are plenty of famous examples of players who the world watched sweat it out like Aaron Rodgers back in 2005, but since former Penn State quarterback Will Levis fell to the second round in 2023, the NFL has cut back on the number of invites it extends.
The 2025 NFL Draft will be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the NFL continues the traveling circus model for its biggest offseason spectacle. Green Bay is certainly the league’s most remote destination, which is further limiting the number of players who will attend. Yet, Penn State superstar tight end Tyler Warren has received an invitation to the green room in Green Bay all but locking in his first-round status ahead of this week’s NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis.
Sources: Penn State star TE Tyler Warren will not workout at the Combine (just interviewing).
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 26, 2025
Warren, I’m told, has also received a Green Room invite to the NFL Draft. Read more @NFLonFOX:https://t.co/dMZsZNz7Yd
With most of the teams gathering in Indy each spring, the league always gathers crucial information about how front offices value the top prospects in that year’s draft. Warren is valued highly and with his first-round status secure he will only be conducting interviews with teams this week and not working out.
Penn State superstar defensive end Abdul Carter will follow the same game plan but for a different reason. Carter is still recovering from a shoulder injury that he suffered in the Nittany Lion’s Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff Quarterfinal win over Boise State on New Year’s Eve. Warren is healthy and presumably doesn’t want to risk injury, or poor testing numbers, negatively impacting his draft stock.
Tight ends are rarely selected early in the first round. However, they have been on the rise lately with Georgia tight end Brock Bowers coming off the board at No. 13 overall a year ago. Bowers had a historic rookie season for the Las Vegas Raiders and his early career production may open the door for both Warren and Michigan tight end Colston Loveland to be selected in the first half of the first round in April.