INDIANAPOLIS – Tyler Warren was a speck of dust in Chad Henry’s eye.
Not exactly an irritant, but something the Indianapolis Colts’ area scout couldn’t – wouldn’t – just brush aside. It was always there.
It was the summer/fall of 2022 and Henry was going about the exhaustive business of visiting roughly 70 colleges and charting more than 300 players leading up to the ’23 NFL Draft. He was in his third decade as a pro scout, the past 10 with the Colts.
When Henry’s travels took him to Penn State, his attention naturally zeroed in on the Nittany Lions’ draft-eligible prospects. And they had a slew. Six were selected in April 2023, including three in round 2 and one in round 3.
“If you know me, I’m not real fond of writing backups,’’ Henry said. “We write a lot of players as is, so if a guy’s a backup, he better really be showing something.’’
The Colts would solve their lingering tight end issue by selecting Warren with the 14th overall pick in the April draft – “It was easy,’’ General Manager Chris Ballard insisted. “There wasn’t a lot of discussion’’ – but it was a few years prior when he first got in Henry’s eye.”
He was an athletic 6-6, 256-pounder, but running third on the tight end depth chart behind Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson.
“Even when he was third tight end, I still liked him,’’ Henry said. “He’s playing behind those guys, but he’s still getting in the game all the time.’’
Strange led Penn State with 20 receptions, 225 yards and three touchdowns in 2022, just ahead of Johnson (19, 213 and one). Warren managed 123 yards and three TDs on just 10 catches.
“That’s telling you something, too,’’ Henry said. “You don’t see a lot of teams, particularly in college, playing with three tight ends on the field. To me, every exposure I had to this guy, I liked him more and more and more, whether it was the first time I evaluated him two summers ago to progressing his last two seasons, getting him at the Combine, getting a chance to spend with him at the school. Every exposure, I liked him more and more.’’
Biding time
Warren was patient. After Strange was drafted by Jacksonville in the second round of the 2023 draft, he and Johnson formed a prolific tandem. They each had 34 receptions and seven TDs, the second-most in the Nittany Lions offense.
Then, Johnson was a fourth-round pick of the New York Giants in the 2024 draft.
Warren, finally, was the guy.
“Once he got a chance to be the guy, he showed you the greatness that is in him,” Henry said.
His 104 receptions were a school record and second nationally, while his 1,233 yards trailed only Allen Robinson’s 1,432 in Penn State history. He added eight more receiving TDs, pushing his career total to 19. Warren passed for one TD and rushed 26 times for 218 yards and four more as a senior.
Henry described him as a “unicorn-Y.’’ That’s the tight end whose alignment might start next to the offensive tackle, but it’s anyone’s guess where he’ll be once the ball’s snapped.
A blocker for Jonathan Taylor? A receiving option for Anthony Richardson Sr. or Daniel Jones? Maybe even an occasional rusher?
The “unicorn-Y’’ keeps defensive coordinators guessing.
“He’s a guy that can do it all,’’ coach Shane Steichen said. “He can catch. He can run. He can throw. I mean, (expletive), we might play him on defense.’’
“I think Shane will find unique ways to use him,’’ Ballard added.
Steichen’s eyes lit up as he considered the possibilities in the aftermath of the draft.
He was creative with Dallas Goedert during his time as the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator and with Hall of Famer Antonio Gates with the Chargers.
“It’s huge,’’ Steichen said. “You’ve got a target that big with that size. He plays above the rim, you know what I mean? Sometimes, guys are on him (but) he’s still open. We had the Gates Rule (with the Chargers). Like, ‘Hey, you’ve got him one-on-one? You throw him the dang ball.’ Obviously, it will be exciting to see when he gets in here and see him compete. It will be fun.’’
Feeling at home
Warren is growing familiar with the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. His only top-30 visit prior to the draft was to Indy. The day after officially becoming a Colt, he strolled into the media room on April 25 for his introductory press conference with his family in tow.
The next step is this weekend’ rookie minicamp.
“Yeah, it’s really cool to have the opportunity to be an Indianapolis Colt,’’ he said. “Just being able to be here with my family, being able to do this and to be a Colt now is really something cool to say. I’m just really excited to start getting into the facility again and be a football player again on a team.’’
The Colts’ excitement and anticipation surrounding Warren increased with every game and every season. It probably reached its apex Oct. 12 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
It was No. 4 Penn State against USC.
It was Tyler Warren Day: 17 catches, 224 yards, one TD in a 33-30 overtime victory.
“That was dominant a game as you saw from any offensive player in college football,’’ Ballard said.
He didn’t need to see more to be convinced of Warren’s value.
“I didn’t need to see the playoffs,’’ Ballard said. “I mean, he had done enough one game to go like, ‘Holy cow, man. This guy’s got some unique stuff in him.’’’
Todd Vasvari has been with the Colts for 28 seasons, the last 10 as a senior player personnel scout. During internal discussions involving Warren and the impactful USC game, his mind flashed back to another first-round pick and another indelible moment.
It was Dec. 5, 1998, at Miami’s Orange Bowl. The Hurricanes versus the unbeaten and No. 3-ranked UCLA.
It was Edgerrin James Day: 39 rushes, 299 yards, three TDs in the 49-45 upset.
Vasvari’s point?
“When guys make exceptional performances like that, like Tyler against USC, they’re showing you what they are,’’ Henry said. “They’re showing you, ‘Hey, I’m great even if they know I’m getting the ball. I’m great when the game’s on the line.’ You could watch that game and be done.’’
The Colts disappointed their fan base by using the No. 4 overall pick in 1999 on James, not Heisman Trophy-winner Ricky Williams. That worked out just fine. James is the franchise’s career rushing leader and has a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio, as a member of the Class of 2020.
Fixing what’s broken
The vast majority of mock drafts projected Warren or Michigan’s Colston Loveland to the Colts at No. 14. Loveland went to Chicago at No. 10.
The pre-draft speculation wasn’t complicated. The Colts’ tight ends room combined for 39 receptions, 467 yards and two TDs in 2024. That was the room’s worst collective production since 1994.
Moreover, Warren had more catches and yards at USC than any Colt tight end had all season.
“We didn’t get enough production from them,’’ Ballard admitted.
The position has been deficient since Jack Doyle’s retirement after 2021. The Cathedral High School product was a chain-mover in the pass game and a crease-creator in the run game.
“One of the most underappreciated players to ever come to this program,’’ Ballard said of the two-time Pro Bowl selection.
Now, we’ll see if Warren is capable of being the difference-maker that’s been missing.
One of the interesting storylines following him into the NFL was the history of wearing jersey 44. It came from his father, Terry, showing his 8-year-old son YouTube videos of John Riggins, his favorite player.
Riggins sought contact as a Hall of Fame runner with the Washington Redskins.
“He was like, ‘This is how I want you to run the ball and play football,’’ Warren said. “It speaks to how my dad raised me.’’
And it was a trait that helped sway the Colts’ decision. The toughness. The relentlessness.
“You see that when he has the ball in his hands,’’ Henry said. “You see that when he’s blocking. You guys know I’m a big on my nicknames. My nickname for him would be ‘Truck,’ because he’s big, strong, reliable and he’ll truck some defenders. I was actually surprised to learn that he doesn’t drive a truck. That may change in the future with the contract.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.