Indianapolis Colts’ Tyler Warren is rewriting rookie history at the tight end position

• Tyler Warren has been a chunk-play machine: His 17 first downs are the most of any rookie tight end in the PFF era.

• Dominance against zone coverage: Warren’s 2.81 yards per route against shell looks are the second-highest among tight ends in the NFL.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

The tight end position can easily be described as a slow burn when entering the NFL. It is conceptually seen as one of the more difficult positions to get to grips with when transitioning from the college level to the pros.

Even the most basic figures will support this claim. Of all the tight ends drafted in rounds 1 through 3 over the past decade, less than half have eclipsed just 100 yards in their first five NFL games.

So when someone like Tyler Warren comes along and puts up 307 receiving yards in his first five games Indianapolicy, people need to take notice. Warren’s 17 first downs (rushing and receiving) through five weeks are the most of any rookie tight end in the PFF era (since 2006).

The other side of the argument is that we have entered a new era of tight ends. Between 2006 and 2020, no rookie has accumulated more than 250 yards in their first five NFL games. It’s happened four times now since then. Are fans becoming apathetic to all the young tight end talent flooding into the league?

After all, we are just one year removed from Brock Bowers’ historic rookie campaign. A year earlier, we saw rookie Sam LaPorta make an electric start. Some may even forget how quickly Kyle Pitts exploded out of the blocks in 2021.

Particularly in Bowers’ case, the parallels he shares with Warren’s first five NFL games are astonishing:

These are almost identical starts. Bowers would go on to break the NFL records for receptions and yards by a rookie tight end, and tie the record for touchdowns. His 112 receptions last year were the most of any rookie ever, including wideouts.

One area where Warren has an edge over Bowers is in the explosive play category. The Colts rookie has already hauled in 10 receptions of 15-plus yards in his first five games – tied for the most of any rookie tight end in the PFF era. It wasn’t until Week 9 that Bowers reached that point in 2024. However, Bowers eclipses Warren in overall PFF grade over his first five starts (82.7 vs. 72.7).

Bowers’ astonishing debut campaign has undoubtedly taken some of the shine off Warren’s early return, but that shouldn’t happen. This level of rookie production at tight end is extremely rare. These are two bizarre talents who just happened to end up in the league in back-to-back seasons.

Despite his impressive receiving numbers to date, Warren is not cut from the same cloth as most modern passing tight ends. Warren follows a much more traditional style. Of the top five tight ends in receiving yards this season, Warren is the only one lining up more than 40% of the time.

However, the Colts aren’t just doing this to give off the air of an old-fashioned, fundamental offense; Warren has been a legitimate positive for Shane Steichen’s offense as an in-line blocking tight end. Of the 20 tight ends with more than 100 blocking snaps this season, Warren’s PFF blocking grade of 72.7 puts him a very respectable fifth.

This is a nice improvement over his block score of 52.8 in his last year at Penn Statewhich ranked 102nd out of 158 Power Four tight ends last year. Developing this part of his game will only solidify Warren as one of the most versatile tight ends in the sport. He can gain the middle (3 seam route receptions for 60 yards); he can win in space (7 flat/out route receptions for 69 yards); and he can win in the screen game (32 yards on 2 receptions).

The Colts have even tried to revive Warren’s runaway success Penn State. He has the natural build of a fullback who can run over second-level defenders – proven when he ran for 218 yards in his senior season at Penn State. Although the Colts have limited Warren to only short-yardage rushing situations (4 carries, 2 conversions, 1 TD), I think we could see more of him in the backfield in the coming months.

The one area of ​​the game that Warren hasn’t excelled in is when faced with man coverage. On 25 man-to-man routes, Warren has caught just one nine-yard pass.

Tyler Warren yards per route run comparison

Colston Loveland’s more natural ability to separate is the main reason he was drafted ahead of Warren last April. Will man coverage be the answer for teams looking to silence the Colts’ offense, or can Steichen continue to find ways to keep Warren open while chasing Bowers’ tail for his several rookie records?

Regardless, Warren’s early trajectory positions him as one of the most complete rookie tight ends we’ve seen in PFF history.