Indianapolis Colts General Manager Chris Ballard opens his pre-draft press conference discussing support for the family of long-time scout Matt Terpening in the loss of his wife, Monday, April 21, 2025 at the Colts headquarters, the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Colts' Chris Ballard Elated for Draftee's Potential

Originally posted on Indianapolis Colts on SI
By Sean Ackerman | Last updated May 5, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Following a long pre-draft evaluation process, the Indianapolis Colts decided that Penn State tight end Tyler Warren would be the best use of their 14th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Warren was brought in to instantly boost the quality of Indy's tight end room, which failed to put up 500 yards as a whole last season. To put that into comparison, 18 different tight ends individually reached the 500-yard mark across the league.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard raved about Warren in a recent interview on The Rich Eisen Show, saying that the team was excited to see him fall into their hands in the first round.

"We're very excited to get Tyler [Warren], we did a lot of work on him," Ballard said. "We think he adds an element of toughness to our offense, plus [he's] a big target that our offensive staff can use in multiple ways. I think that's one of the real values of him... There's a lot of creative ways that you can use him that I think all of us are excited about."

Chris Ballard

The @Colts GM joined us in his traditional post-#NFLDraft spot to break it all down and how quickly he turned in the card for Tyler Warren:#NFL #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/GY0MyUr58Q
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) May 1, 2025

In his senior season at Penn State, Warren caught 104 passes for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns while carrying the ball for 218 yards and four more scores on the ground. His versatility stood out among tight ends in this year's class, making him the perfect solution for Shane Steichen's offense.

Eisen went on to ask Ballard if there was a specific story with Warren that led to the Colts drafting him, leading to a discussion of Warren's team-centric mindset.

"It's a little like Quenton Nelson. They're men of few words, which, I can't lie to you, I kind of like. There's not a lot of fluff with him, when you talk to him. It's, "What's my role?", "What do you want me to do?", "I'll do whatever is best for the team". When you get a player like that, that is really team oriented, it's a bonus aspect."

New #Colts TE Tyler Warren on having an inevitably decreased workload at the next level (Q: @JakeArthurNFL):

“I don’t see it as being an issue. I could have 10 catches in a game or block for 70 snaps. That’s the thing about playing TE. I’m just gonna do my job.”

: @Colts pic.twitter.com/eMcRkcX7ib
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) April 25, 2025

Heading into his rookie season, Warren will have plenty on his hands to help lift the Colts' offense. At quarterback, Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones will be throwing him the ball. Both could use a go-to target like Warren to settle into games, which is why he was drafted.

The Colts have an entire offseason to get Warren instilled in the team's offensive game plan ahead of September's Week 1 kickoff.

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This article first appeared on Indianapolis Colts on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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