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…