Tyler Warren 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: How High Can Penn State TE Go?
Penn State TE Tyler Warren broke onto the scene in 2024, swiping the title of TE1 from many analysts despite a strong class.
Tyler Warren rules.
I could probably end this report there and you guys would get the gist.
Alright, fine, I’ll do a whole writeup.
A Mechanicsville, Virginia native, Warren was committed to Virginia Tech as a three-star quarterback recruit until his basketball highlights started making the rounds at power programs. Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, and Penn State came calling, asking if he’d be interested in moving to tight end.
In the end, family connection won out.
Warren’s dad, Terry, played football at Richmond from 1987-90 with Rick McSorley. His mom, Sandy, was sorority sisters with Rick’s wife, Andrea. You may recognize that last name as that of former Penn State and Ravens quarterback Trace McSorley.
In addition to Terry, Warren’s aunt, sister, grandfather, and grandmother played college sports. Warren himself was a four-time all-region selection in basketball and all-state honoree in baseball as a high schooler, so he fit in well at a Penn State program that’s produced some of the best athletes in the country.
That penchant in State College landed Warren on the bench behind three future NFL players: Pat Freiermuth (Steelers), Brenton Strange (Jaguars), and Theo Johnson (Giants). By the time it became Warren’s turn in 2024, he had 49 career receptions in four years.
He broke out in 2024, finishing with 104 receptions for 1,233 yards and 8 touchdowns en route to 7th place in the Heisman Trophy voting and a Mackey Award victory.
Penn State essentially used Warren like the only D1-bound player at a small high school team. He lined up as an H-back, in the slot, out wide, in-line, in the backfield, as a wildcat quarterback, and even had him snap one ball throughout the course of the season. There’s an immediate - if small - value proposition for Warren as a trick play passer (he threw 17 passes this season) and short-yardage runner (think Tucker Kraft taking sneaks for the Packers this year).
Once you get into the legit tight end stuff, though, Warren shines even brighter. He has a wide catch radius and is a physical player at the catch point, making him an immediate threat in the red zone. That play he lined up at center - which ended as a touchdown reception in the USC game - is a perfect encapsulation of his contested catch ability.
Warren is clearly not afraid of contact once he gets the ball, either. He always drops his shoulder and drives his feet to end a play, falling forward and plowing over defenders for an extra yard or two. He has shown a little wiggle to avoid those defenders altogether when given enough space, too, but it seems like he almost prefers to run through guys instead.
As a blocker, Warren was mostly asked to lead block from an H-back alignment, which was also his most effective setup. When he was asked to block in-line, he gave good effort, but sometimes got caught dropping his shoulder to truck someone or miscalculated a cut block angle.
Warren is built like a more traditional tight end, and I think that’s most apparent in the way his athleticism shows on tape. He’s a bit of a clunky athlete, especially when asked to move laterally, and his long, galloping stride can understate his explosiveness. That’s not a disqualifying thing by any means, but he’s never going to be the same caliber of vertical threat as some of the new wave of tight ends are.
That’s a fine trade to make considering how good Warren is at finding holes in zone coverage in the short and intermediate areas of the field. His quarterback vision shines on those plays, and he knows exactly where and when to settle to provide his QB a viable target.
When he’s not expecting to be the target, Warren can take an extra moment or two to get on his horse when running routes. That’s not unique to him - most college receiving options do it to some degree - but I thought it was particularly noticeable for him.
There’s also the matter of Andy Kotelnicki’s Penn State offense. Warren wasn’t asked to do very much traditional tight end stuff because he was busy snapping and throwing the ball, and that lack of true in-line experience may lengthen the on-ramp he’ll need in the NFL just a little bit. The Nittany Lions’ obsessive use of motion also gave them the defensive picture in a much higher resolution than Warren will probably ever get in the NFL.
In some ways, though, that’s what makes Warren’s projection so threatening to the league. He’s only played the position full-time for five years and has the athletic pedigree - via both a multi-sport background and genetics - to take another step forward.
But the player Warren already is is plenty valuable, too. Start him as a matchup nightmare in the passing game while he learns the intricacies of blocking in-line more regularly. (I’m of the opinion that he can pick that up quickly because of his demeanor and demonstrated willingness on college tape.) We’ve already seen that sort of receiving threat start to go in the first round. Warren is much further along as a blocker than the players that usually get typecast as receiving cheat codes, though, and that potential rounding out of his game is what makes a future as a top 10 tight end in the league so easy to see.
Final Grade: 8.55 (First Round)