STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Tyler Warren had no assertion or ready speaking factors when he was requested why he thinks he’s the most effective tight finish on this yr’s NFL Draft class.
“That’s not what I deal with,” Warren mentioned Friday at Penn State’s professional day. “I simply know I’m gonna be a workforce participant that’s gonna are available in and do the job and simply do no matter I can to assist the workforce win.”
Warren might’ve run down his checklist of accomplishments, beginning with successful the Mackey Award, given yearly to the nation’s high tight finish. He might’ve picked any variety of video games when he lined up as a wildcat quarterback or hauled in contested catches as Penn State’s high goal. He even might have pointed to the USC sport, when he snapped the ball, darted down the sphere and caught a landing excessive of a defender multi functional play.
Groups have requested him about these moments from the NFL Scouting Mix to now. Nonetheless, Warren politely would relatively not say an excessive amount of about himself.
“That is likely one of the issues that’s form of slightly bizarre about this,” he mentioned. “You form of need to be egocentric, and it’s actually about you for a number of months till you do get on a workforce. It has been slightly bizarre for me, and I’ve needed to modify, however I’m nonetheless attempting to be the identical particular person I used to be after I was right here.”
Warren weaved his means by way of Holuba Corridor on Friday, observing and hyping up his teammates. This was the primary time lots of them have been collectively because the Nittany Lions’ season led to Miami with a loss to Notre Dame within the School Soccer Playoff semifinal. Warren didn’t take part in professional day, nor did edge rusher and projected top-five choose Abdul Carter. Carter dined with members of the Browns group Thursday evening at The Tavern restaurant in State School. He mentioned he’s “near 100%” however is continuous to get better from his shoulder damage suffered throughout the Fiesta Bowl.
Tyler Warren received the Mackey Award, given yearly to the nation’s high tight finish, after his robust 2024 season. (Sam Navarro / Imagn Photos)
As cameras adopted Carter, his household and agent Drew Rosenhaus all through Holuba Corridor, Warren took a seat subsequent to his former Penn State teammate Pat Freiermuth. There was no level in Warren risking damage simply weeks out from the draft. His first-round draft inventory is pretty much as good as secured, and there are 16 video games from final season for expertise evaluators to sift by way of.
“There’s a number of alternatives to show stuff if you’re in conferences and doing a number of completely different stuff over Zoom calls,” Warren mentioned. “There’s nonetheless loads I can show.”
With Warren’s worn-in Penn State ball cap pulled low over his flowing blonde locks, he and Freiermuth chatted like they’ve accomplished since Warren enrolled at Penn State. Freiermuth was headed into his last collegiate season when Warren, a quarterback turned tight finish, was simply getting his footing. Neither knew on the time that the place group included 4 tight ends who could be drafted, and essentially the most coveted of the group could be the quiet younger participant who grew into certainly one of faculty soccer’s superstars.
“He’s the most effective tight finish to come back out of Penn State,” Freiermuth mentioned. “He’s a contested catch man, and when you generally is a contested catch man, you’re gonna discover a number of success as a result of the quarterbacks are gonna belief you in any circumstance. If you’re coated, you’re not. He’s confirmed he can do all of it. I’m tremendous excited for him and the chance he has arising.”
A few legendary @PennStateFball TE’s sharing a second collectively on the Nittany Lions’ Professional Day 🤩#B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/vqAv6Cb0eN
— Huge Ten Soccer (@B1Gfootball) March 28, 2025
Warren has the prospect to be the primary Penn State tight finish chosen within the high 10 since Kyle Brady was drafted ninth total by the New York Jets in 1995. Having two gamers go early within the first spherical actually could be one other feather in James Franklin’s cap. Warren mentioned he’s nonetheless deciding the place he’s going to be when he hears his identify known as subsequent month. He was invited to attend the draft in Inexperienced Bay however is leaning towards staying dwelling and being surrounded by household in Virginia.
Warren is poised to proceed a exceptional stretch throughout which Penn State tight ends Freiermuth (second spherical, fifty fifth total in 2021), Brenton Unusual (second spherical, 61st total in 2023) and Theo Johnson (fourth spherical, 107th total in 2024) have helped make this system a hotbed for tight ends. Freiermuth mentioned one of many questions he hears from recruits is whether or not he thinks they are going to be used like Warren was final season.
Freiermuth mentioned he’s fast to remind them that few have the talent set and might develop the employees’s belief sufficient to the place they will spend valuable observe time snapping the soccer, booting punts and taking part in quarterback and naturally, tight finish.
Put plainly: There aren’t many like Warren on the market.
“He’s gonna slot in any scheme,” Freiermuth mentioned. “He can win vs. man. He can win vs. zone and cool down and discover the mushy spots — and he’s a hell of a blocker. … It’s an excellent drawback to have being an offensive coordinator or a company attempting to select a man like that. He can do all of it. It’s a straightforward choose.”
(High photograph by Scott Taetsch / Getty Photos)
