For much of the 2024 college football season, Michigan’s Colston Loveland was viewed as the premier tight end of the 2025 NFL Draft class. A breakout season from Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren gradually saw Loveland slip to TE2 as the Warren gained the top slot. 
Warren had some decent offers coming out of Atlee HS in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Despite being a three-star athlete and grading as only the 21st-ranked tight end in the class, per 247Sports, Warren fielded offers from Michigan, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Louisville, and Syracuse. He made an early decision, though, committing to James Franklin and Penn State before his senior year and following through on that commitment.
It took a while for Warren to earn some significant snaps in Happy Valley. As a true freshman, Warren retained a redshirt status by only appearing in two games while Pat Freiermuth dominated the room. In his redshirt freshman year, Warren appeared in every contest but only caught five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown while Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson led the group, though Warren did get some gadget use with two rushing touchdowns on six attempts. This continued as the group stayed the same in 2022, though Warren did get three starts in a bit more time, catching 10 balls for 123 yards and three touchdowns.
With Strange departing for the NFL as a second-round draft pick, Warren joined Johnson as one of a two-man tight end attack in 2023. Both players caught 34 passes and seven touchdowns that year, though Warren edged Johnson on yardage 422 to 341. When Johnson was selected in the fourth round of the draft that year, it became clear that Warren would be a name to watch for this year’s class following his redshirt senior season.
Warren blew up the scene this year. With no other tight ends to vulture targets from him, Warren became the Nittany Lions’ top offensive weapon, leading the team in receptions (104), receiving yards (1,233), and receiving touchdowns (8). Though he had the added benefit of a 16-game schedule, thanks to the College Football Playoff, Warren’s 1,233 receiving yards were seventh-most in the NCAA this year. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Warren graded out as the second-best tight end in college football, behind only Harold Fannin Jr. of Bowling Green, who led all of college football in receiving yards and receiving yards per game regardless of position.
Measuring out at the NFL Scouting Combine at 6-foot-5.5 and 256 pounds, Warren is a little undersized for the perfect prototype, but his top-end production is enough to overlook that drawback. His size does limit him as a blocker, where he has plenty of room for improvement, and too easily can he be redirected from his route when in physical coverage, but sheer competitiveness and athleticism often helps Warren play through the contact and dominate, regardless.
Warren’s top competition in the draft is Loveland, Fannin, and Miami’s Elijah Arroyo. Loveland gained national recognition during the Wolverines’ national championship season but didn’t dominate statistically like Warren and Fannin in 2024. Arroyo’s stock continues to rise after a breakout season with the Hurricanes and a show-stealing performance at the Senior Bowl, though an injury at the event held Arroyo out from further improving his stock at the combine.
According to Tony Pauline of sportskeeda, the Jets are a team that are “infatuated with Warren” at the No. 7 overall pick. With the departure of Tyler Conklin to the Chargers, New York could certainly be on the lookout for a tight end in the draft. If they really love Warren, that pick makes too much sense. If he falls past the Jets, though, the Colts are another team that is highly covetous of Warren at No. 14 overall. Indianapolis was high on Brock Bowers last year before he got selected two slots above them. They’ll hope they don’t miss on Warren, too, since they haven’t had an impact tight end since Eric Ebron‘s big season in 2018.
Colts broncos saints or jets
Seahawks possible too
I have Warren to Colts, Loveland to Seattle
Denver I have going RB whether it’s Hampton or a huge reach for Judkins in r1 (but a necessary reach)
Bears
Bears just gave Kmet a big extension
I wouldn’t mention Fannin in that breath. He was already an H-back type coming out of a small program. After less than stellar combine testing, I think he’s not only behind Warren, Loveland, and Arroyo, but probably Mason Taylor and possibly Terrance Ferguson.
I don’t remember another class that had 4 legit TE1’s like this
Yeah, neither can I. Helm out of Texas has a good chance to be an NFL starter too. Guys like Briningstool and Hawes could be useful TE2 types. It’s a really good class at a position the NFL is short on.
6’5.5″/256. bigger than bowers, kelce, kittles but considered undersized?
yeah i didnt get that comment either. thats the size of the average TE iirc
He had some creative plays at Penn St, I would expect an offensive focused team to really target him so Broncos. I think the Saints need too much help.
If WARREN (TE) makes it to the 2nd round he gotta be a Bear
Zero, absolute zero chance he is second round. Come on man.
Warren is most likely going top 10 and no way he he falls out of the first half of the draft. Loveland should easily be a top 20 but no other TEs are going round 1 and no other TEs are legit number one TE options in the NFL going into next year. back of of 2nd round and into the 3rd you could see a couple of guys get taken and hope they turn into TE 1s down the road but this draft is Warren and Loveland and then everyone else.