Tyler Warren becoming a great tight end prospect isn't by chance

The tight end has become an undervalued or overvalued position, depending on your outlook. In recent years, tight ends being drafted high, such as Kyle Pitts, have burned us. On the flip side, we have seen some, such as Sam LaPorta and Brock Bowers, who have come in and made a big impact on day one. 

In the 2025 NFL Draft, we have one who could be drafted starting in the middle of the first round, for better or worse. 

Tyler Warren out of Penn State entered the new season with some mild expectations, as do most Nittany Lion tight ends. Where Warren took the baton and ran with it in a big way. James Franklin has been developing players at several positions over the years at Penn State, but the tight end has been one where he has been tweaking the position but finally figured it out. 

Others walked so Tyler Warren could run

Over the years at Penn State, several NFL-caliber tight ends have come out of the position group. It started with Pat Freiermuth in 2020, who everyone saw as a complete tight end. He has thrived since being drafted by the Steelers, but he isn’t as athletic as Warren, in my opinion. From there, the Nittany Lions were able to build up the likes of Theo Johnson and Brenton Strange. The latter emerged as a great receiving threat and reliable blocker, but he didn’t have the route running or athletic ability. 

For Tyler Warren, he is the lab project who, after years of tinkering with the formula, a coach can look and say, “he’s perfect.” Warren is perfect in the sense that he is everything that the star tight ends of the NFL want to be and are in most cases. Mark Andrews, Travis Kelce, and George Kittle all have those complete skillsets to receive and block while being athletic in the process. 

Tyler Warren is in that same mold. 

What kind of prospect is Tyler Warren? 

Tyler Warren is one of those prospects who comes along in a class and gets you excited about the group as a whole. For tight ends especially, things have been dry outside of some top names in recent years. There lacks some depth or players emerging from the Summer to the end of the season, but Warren has done that. 

There is nothing NFL teams look for or get excited about in a prospect the way they do when a player shows an uptick in development. They do not want the players who have hit their ceiling and cannot grow anymore. Warren has some work to do with his route tree and overall route running, but the athleticism can cover that up. He will have some more growing to do in the NFL. He has shown he is capable of it in college. 

He has gone from being just a run blocker at Penn State to now being the weapon that makes that entire offense as efficient as it is in 2024. 

Where does he fit in the NFL?

Many teams in recent years have drafted and hit on tight end prospects. We talked about LaPorta and Bowers, but many more have solved that position for teams. Players such as Tucker Kraft, Trey McBride, and Cade Otton have all emerged after a year or two of development. These are the players that are more like Warren, who teams drafted in hopes that they could develop into prominent playmakers in their offenses. 

For the benefit of Tyler Warren, there are several teams who need a playmaking, complete skillset tight end. The Penn State tight end would be a perfect fit for the Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Chargers, and Kansas City Chiefs at the end of round one. If he made it to round two, teams like the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, and New York Jets could also use him to be playmakers for them and their quarterbacks. 

He is going to find a home in the NFL, obviously. Compared to most prospects, he fits almost anywhere. He has more growing to do as a player, but he is ready to produce on day one for any NFL team.