Colts Among Teams Targeting Non-Combine Tight End

The Indianapolis Colts finally established a respectable tight end room this past season with then-rookie Tyler Warren fitting in seamlessly as the group's focal point. The player this otherwise lacking room had been searching for all along, Warren's talents blend well alongside Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, and Will Mallory.

In the season before Warren joined the team, the Colts' tight end production was borderline unacceptable. In 2024, here's where the room ranked among NFL teams leaguewide:

75 targets (29th)
39 receptions (32nd)
52% Catch Rate (32nd)
467 receiving yards (31st)
2 receiving touchdowns (t-31st)
22 1st down gains (31st)

In his rookie season, Warren single-handedly outplayed the 2024 room's output, hauling in 76 receptions on 112 targets (67.9% catch rate) for 812 receiving yards, 42 first down gains, and 4 receiving touchdowns.

The position room's outlook was so bleak that not even adding a star seemed likely to remedy the shortcomings. Still, rookie Tyler Warren had other plans: he immediately masked many of the room's flaws, while also raising the floor for his fellow tight ends. Despite this recent turnaround at the position, the Colts are in the market to add to the room via the NFL Draft.

The Colts hosted Mississippi State tight end Seydou Traore on an official 30-visit, according to Essentially Sports NFL Insider Tony Pauline.

Traore is an intriguing prospect who could become the first non-Combine invite taken in the 2026 NFL Draft. He's originally from England and part of the league's International Players Program. Despite his Combine snub, he's passed every test with flying colors in the pre-draft process.

At 6' 3.5", 244 lbs, Traore ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash at his Pro Day following a very impressive East-West Shrine Bowl performance earlier in the pre-draft process. In his final year in college, he hauled in 35 receptions for 369 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns. By all accounts, Traore is an NFL-level prospect who projects as a Day 3 (rounds 4-7) draft selection.

With that being said, where does he fit in with the Colts' future at the position? Traore profiles as the easy Will Mallory replacement based on his athletic profile and playstyle, but as it turns out, tight end is an underrated need for the Colts.

As it stands, the Colts only have one tight end under contract for the 2027 NFL season and/or beyond -- Tyler Warren. The rest of the aforementioned room that meshes so well alongside him are all under contract for the 2026 season, and then it's time to hit free agency.

The Colts need to plan accordingly, and adding a future replacement in the back end of this upcoming draft feels like a good first step in the right direction.