INDIANAPOLIS – When the time came to invest the No. 14 pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft, Chris Ballard smiled and his mind flashed back to 2018.
He thought of Quenton Nelson as he added Tyler Warren to the Indianapolis Colts’ offense.
“Look, last time I felt that good about pulling a pick – and I felt good about all of them – was Quenton,” Ballard said. “It was easy. It was easy.
“There wasn’t a lot of discussion.
In 2018, Ballard was at Notre Dame’s Pro Bowl and felt the uniqueness of Nelson as he walked past. It was a no-brainer to grab him with the No. 6 overall pick, and Nelson has reinforced the commitment with five All-Pro and seven Pro Bowl selections.
Now, a much-needed tight end with Nelson-like characteristics.
“Very similar,” Ballard said. “Very similar.”
Ballard and coach Shane Steichen didn’t bother to disguise their desire to add a difference-making tight end as the draft neared, and Thursday’s round 1 offered one of those fortunate occasions when need intersected with a top talent still on the board.
“We had a group of about four or five players we were considering,” Ballard said. “He was right in that group.”
He declined to share the handful of players, but one likely was taken out of the mix when the Chicago Bears selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10.
Ballard insisted the Colts didn’t consider moving up to ensure they came away with Warren.
“Nope. Nope. Had a good feeling,” he said.
But he also added, “Look, sometimes you get a little lucky. Excited to get Tyler. We were patient.
“We had a pretty good feel when both tight ends started to fall, and we liked both of the players. Good fit for us.”
Warren’s journey from understudy tight end at Penn State to the John Mackey Award winner as a senior to the first tight end taken in the first round by the Colts since Dallas Clark in 2003 caught Ballard’s eye. He blossomed into bona fide difference-maker last season with 104 catches, 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns.
“For this kid to keep competing, never gripe, complain, just keep working, getting better, that’s a freaking beautiful thing now,” Ballard said.
The Colts’ intertest in Warren started early and intensified throughout the pre-draft process.
“I met with them at the Combine, came up on a Top 30 visit,” Warren said. “Even from the Combine, I enjoyed the staff and my meeting with them, and enjoyed being there for my 30 visit.
“I’m just really excited and it’s a great place to go play football. I’m excited to work with that program and that organization.”
The need at the position was glaring. The Colts’ tight ends last season combined for 39 catches, 467 yards and two touchdowns, the worst collective production in the NFL and the worst by an Indy group since 1994.
The 6-5, 256-pound Warren is expected to be a game-changer and a Swiss army knife for Steichen.
“I think Shane will find unique ways to use him,” Ballard said.
Warren was always on the move at Penn State: split out wide, in the slot, at the end of the line, at fullback, at running back. He’s an accomplished blocker, so he fits the Colts’ need for a three-down tight end.
“He can do a lot,” Ballard said. “I mean, he can play multiple spots. He’s got the quarterback background. He can play in the backfield. He’s a great 50-50 ball catcher.
“And he’s violent after the catch.”
Warren brings no preconceived notions for how he’ll be used.
“I’m going to come in and do whatever’s asked of me and do it to the best of my ability,” he said. “That’s kind of what I try to do as a football player. So, whatever that looks like is what I’m going to do.”
For all the extensive evaluation the Colts did with Warren, one day stood out. It was Oct. 12. At USC.
“That was dominant a game as you saw from any offensive player in college football,” Ballard said.
Warren’s stat line: 17 receptions, 224 yards and one TD in Penn State’s 33-30 overtime win.
“Caught 17 balls on the road at USC and they know he’s getting the ball,” Ballard said. “They kept feeding it to him.
“He’s a unique player.”
Warren’s strongest attribute probably is his match-up threat over the middle of the field.
“There’s not many 6’6″ linebackers or safeties playing,” Ballard said. “The ability to really threaten the middle of the field I think is going to open things up for us offensively. Plus, being a really big target, I think that’s a plus.
“It’s kind of one of those guys that’s always open. That’s part of his uniqueness. His hands are pretty rare. I thought he had the best hands of any player in the draft.
“So, he’s a unique dude.”
Warren has tailored his style – and pulled on jersey 44 – after watching YouTube videos of John Riggins. His father was a big Washington Redskins fan and wanted his son, 8 at the time about ready for tackle football, to emulate the Hall of Fame running back.
He runs and blocks with “violent intensions.”
“Playing with an angry mentality,” Warren said, adding his blocking includes “understanding technique and angles and aiming points.