Tyler Warren: Indianapolis Colts Rookie Files

Warren was born on May 24, 2002, in Mechanicsville, VA, to Terry and Sandy Warren. Growing up outside of Richmond, the Warren family was known for their long history of producing athletes.

Tyler's grandparents, Steve and Julia Warren, played college football at Wake Forest and college basketball at Carson-Newman, respectively. Terry played running back and safety at the University of Richmond, where he earned the nickname "The Hitman." Tyler's older sister, Kelly, was an all-conference softball player at East Tennessee State.

Athletics is in Warren's blood, so it was unsurprising to see Tyler take up football, basketball, and baseball from a very young age. He had success in all three sports, with football being his first love. As Warren was getting ready to play his first season of tackle football for the Blue Star Cowboys, his father wanted to show an eight-year-old Tyler how to play the game with physicality and intensity.

"My dad pulled up the YouTube highlights of John Riggins, because he was a Washington (Commanders) fan growing up," Warren revealed. "And he was like, 'This is how I want you to run the ball and how I want you to play football.'"

Riggins was a long-time fullback and running back for the Commanders from 1971-1985, known for his bruising rushing style. Riggins racked up 11,352 yards and 104 touchdowns in his Hall-of-Fame career.

So, Warren decided to go with 44 as his jersey number, just like Riggins, and set out to play with just like his dad had instructed. Warren played offense, defense, and even as the team's punter, always bringing a level of physicality above the rest.

Warren enrolled at Atlee High School as a three-sport athlete, where he made an immediate impact on the varsity team as a freshman. The Atlee coaching staff, led by Matt Gray, moved Warren to quarterback to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.

Warren brought his physical playing style to the quarterback position as well, finishing his high school career with 3,654 passing yards and 1,952 rushing yards. Warren earned All-State honors as a senior with 1,149 passing yards, 677 rushing yards, and 24 total touchdowns. He was also named All-State as a punter each of his final three seasons at Atlee.

Warren was also a standout in his other sports, earning All-Region honors in basketball and All-State honors in baseball. But football had his heart, and Warren had done enough to attract offers from Division I programs across the country.

As a three-star prospect, Warren was originally recruited as a quarterback and committed to Virginia Tech before his junior season. But when schools found out Warren was open to moving to tight end at the next level, a position better suited for his athleticism and skillset, programs like Michigan, South Carolina, and Louisville came calling. Despite the elevated interest, Warren took just one official visit: Penn State.

Warren connected with the coaching staff at Penn State almost immediately. He decommitted from Virginia Tech in May 2019 and committed to head coach James Franklin and the Nittany Lions a month later. While Warren had made it to Big Ten country, the work was only beginning.

Waiting His Turn

Warren was joining a loaded tight end room at Penn State in August 2020. Future NFL starters Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh Steelers), Brenton Strange (Jacksonville Jaguars), and Theo Johnson (New York Giants) were already established for the Nittany Lions. It would be tough for Warren to have an impact early in his career.

Warren struggled to carve out a consistent role in the offense during his first few years at Penn State. After redshirting in 2020, Warren only started three games in the following two seasons. He was heading into his redshirt junior season with only 15 catches for 184 yards, with four receiving touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns.

In today's age of college football, the transfer portal and player movement dominate the conversation. Players are quick to leave for another school if they do not get the opportunity they are looking for right away.

However, Warren never entertained the idea of leaving Penn State despite not seeing the field much. Instead, it just fueled him to work on his craft even more.

"That's where I made my commitment to and where I wanted to stay," Warren said. "It's a blessing in disguise, really, cause you're going to play with really good tight ends when you go to Penn State, and you're going to learn from really good guys, but it's going to be hard to get on the field. … That's something that's helped me get to this point and helped me a lot in learning and developing as a tight end."

Warren's hard work and determination to succeed at Penn State finally began to pay off his junior season. Starting 12-of-13 games alongside Johnson, Warren made noise for Penn State's offense, tallying 34 catches for 422 yards and seven touchdowns on the way to earning Third-Team All-Big Ten honors.

With Johnson off to the NFL after the 2023 season, Warren returned for his redshirt senior year. He was finally the top tight end for the Nittany Lions, and he was out to prove Warren was the best tight end the school had ever seen.

From Nobody to Mackey Award Winner

After his 2023 campaign, Warren was considered one of the better tight ends in the Big Ten. But nobody expected the type of breakout Warren would experience in 2024.

Warren quickly became quarterback Drew Allar's favorite target, and the Penn State passing offense began to run through Warren. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki lined up Warren all over the formation, doing whatever they could to get him the ball.

Although opposing defenses focused on stopping Warren, they were largely unsuccessful. Warren finished the 2024 season with 104 catches for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns. He also added 218 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, and a passing touchdown to his stats, helping lead Penn State to the College Football Playoff Semifinals.

A season like Warren's led to a tremendous amount of accolades. He was named the John Mackey Award winner as the top tight end in college football. Add on First-Team All-American, First-Team All-Big Ten, and Big Ten Tight End of the Year, and Warren swept all major tight end awards.

Warren finished his Penn State career as the top tight end in school history in catches (153), receiving yards (1,839), receiving touchdowns (19), total touchdowns (25), and 100-yard games (five). He was also a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, earning degrees in advertising/public relations and telecommunications. Warren left a mark on Penn State that will not soon be forgotten.

"Tyler Warren, (a) big, gangly kid from Virginia that we recruited as a basketball player and was committed to another school at quarterback, and he shows up here and will go down as one of the greatest tight ends in college football history,” Franklin remarked. "Pretty cool to watch his total development, graduate from Penn State, just get better. Should be the first tight end taken in the draft. Just had a phenomenal experience."

Warren's historic season firmly established the tight end as one of the best players in the country and amongst the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. Warren did not work out publicly during the pre-draft process, relying on his film to do the talking. When you have a season like Warren did, that is a pretty good strategy to lean on.

“That was as dominant a game that you saw from any offensive player in college football this year," Colts general manager Chris Ballard admitted about Warren's 17-catch, 224-yard performance against USC. To catch 17 balls on the road at USC. They know he's getting the ball, and they just kept feeding it to him. He's unique."

Warren was very impressive throughout team interviews, routinely displaying his football IQ and character. There were not any questions about Warren as a player and a person. The only question was, how high would Warren go?

When Night One of the draft came, Warren was surrounded by family and friends at home in Virginia, waiting to hear his name called. He did not have to wait more than a couple of hours before a 317 area code flashed on his phone. Warren was going to Indianapolis, as the Colts turned in the card almost immediately upon going on the clock.

"Just being able to be here with my family, being able to do this and be a Colt now is really something cool to say," Warren said after the draft. "I couldn't be more happy to be here."

How Warren Helps the Colts

The Colts came into the draft needing a difference-maker at tight end. They got that in Warren.

Warren is a versatile player who can line up all over the formation. The All-American took snaps in-line, in the slot, out wide, in the backfield, and at quarterback last season.

As a pass catcher, Warren is a physical presence that excels in contested catch situations. He will box out defenders with his size at the catch point, forcing defenders to play through him to make a play on the ball. Warren is also a monster after the catch, breaking tackles in the open field or running through defenders to create extra yards.

As a blocker, Warren uses his size and strength to overwhelm smaller defenders. He swallows up opponents at the point of attack and creates space for the ball carrier. Warren also does enough as an in-line blocker to not harm the offense, allowing the Colts to stay in 11 personnel and not tip their hand.

Warren gives the Colts a tight end who can be multiple at the position and affect the game on third down. He is a movable chess piece for head coach Shane Steichen and expects to play an important role in Indy's offense as early as Week 1. It would not be a surprise to see Warren take over as the Colts' TE1 by the end of training camp.

The advice from his father paid off, as modeling his game after Riggins and developing a dedication to his craft has catapulted Warren into the conversation as one of the best young tight end prospects in football. Now, in an organization with past tight ends like John Mackey and Dallas Clark, Warren sets his sights on eventually joining those two as one of the best in franchise history.

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