Former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum released his mock draft for ESPN on Tuesday morning and he thinks the Indianapolis Colts should get some help for their quarterback, whether it’s Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones.
If Tannenbaum was running the Colts, he’d select Penn State tight end Tyler Warren with the No. 14-overall pick.
“This is a crucial year for the Colts,” Tannenbaum writes. “It’s time to put some playmakers around Anthony Richardson (or Daniel Jones, who I assume will eventually get some starts). Warren has a rare skill set at tight end. He’s 6-6 and extremely talented. He had a remarkable 104 catches last season, and I envision Indy coach Shane Steichen moving him all around the offense to create mismatches. The Colts had the second-fewest receiving yards from tight ends of any team last season (467), but Warren could push them toward the top of that list pretty quickly.”
Tannenbaum notes that this isn’t your usual mock draft, as he’s telling readers what he would do if he were in charge, not what he thinks will actually happen.
“This isn’t a traditional mock draft. Draft analysts project what they believe will happen in their mocks based on what they’re hearing, just as my colleague Mel Kiper Jr. did last week. But I’m approaching this differently. I’m putting myself in the general manager chair for each team and making my own picks. So it’s not necessarily what I’m expecting to happen but rather how I’d personally approach each Day 1 selection. What follows is based on my own evaluations, preferences, philosophies and rationale.”
With all of the mock drafts out there in the ethos, it’s a fresh and welcomed approach. It’s also a logical one.
Warren has rare ability
Warren is an exceptional talent and most mock drafts have him going somewhere between No. 6 and No. 14 (Colts). And, anyone that watched Penn State games last year knows that they relied heavily on Warren. They lined him up all over the field in a variety of different situations and he filled the stat sheet. Warren caught 104 balls for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024.
And his list of accolades following the season is telling. According to his NFL.com draft bio:
“Won the John Mackey Award (nation’s top TE). Second-team Associated Press All-American. Big Ten Conference TE of the Year. First-team All-Big Ten. Finalist for the Paul Hornung Award (nation’s most versatile player). Finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting, the highest a TE has finished since Notre Dame’s Ken McAfee finished third in 1977. Fiesta Bowl MVP (6-63, 2 TDs receiving). Tied for second in the FBS with school-record 104 receptions, ranked sixth with school record for TE 1,233 receiving yards (11.9 per, 8 TDs). Set school career record for TE with 153 receptions, 1,839 receiving yards, 19 receiving TDs. Started all 16 games (3-6-50.0, 35 yards, TD passing; 26-218-8.4, 4 TDs rushing).”
Other experts think Colts should take Warren too
But, Tannenbaum isn’t the only analyst that thinks Warren would be a great addition to the Colts. USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz also thinks Warren would be an excellent addition should he slide down to 14.
“If Warren makes it out of the top 10, this should be his floor,” Middlehurst-Schwartz writes. “The Colts could surely use a pass catcher who can not only be a safety valve for either Daniel Jones or Anthony Richardson but also bail out his quarterback by snagging contested catches or picking up huge chunks of yards after the catch.”
Regardless of whether Colts fans want to add Warren specifically, they would probably agree that Richardson and/or Jones will need help on offense if the team is going to have success in 2025.
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