Indianapolis Colts Draft Need #1 – Tight End

1. Tyler Warren

Age – 22 years old (turns 23 in May)

Height – 6’6”

Weight – 261 pounds

After failing to trade up in the draft last year to secure generational talent Brock Bowers, Chris Ballard needs to find a way to come out of the first round with Tyler Warren. Most draft analysts have Warren inside their top ten prospects in the draft. Penn State utilized Warren as an inline blocker, slot receiver, outside receiver, wildcat quarterback, and lined him up in the backfield. 

Warren finished last season with 104 receptions for 1,233 yards and 8 receiving touchdowns, winning the John Mackey Award as the nations top tight end in college football. He also rushed the ball 26 times for 218 yards and finding the endzone an additional four times. The one knock people have on Warren is the lack of production in his career at Penn State. In his Junior season, Penn State struggled offensively in Drew Allar’s first season starting.  Also, Warren had to play behind Brenton Strange (Jacksonville Jaguars 2nd round pick in 2023), Theo Johnson (New York Giants 4th round pick in 2024), and redshirted his true Freshman season with Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh Steelers 2nd round pick in 2021) all in front of him.

In high school, Warren served as Atlee High School’s quarterback before transitioning to a tight end as a Freshman at Penn State. He initially committed to Virginia Tech and later signed with Penn State. Along with football, Warren played basketball and baseball. 

2. Colston Loveland

Age – 20 (turns 21 on April 9th)

Height – 6’5”

Weight – 245

Big Ten fans are well aware of the type of talent that Colston Loveland is. There’s a good chance that if he was the featured piece like Warren, he would be in the lottery conversation. Michigan had a putrid 2024 season because of inconsistent quarterback play. As a junior, he led the Wolverines in receptions (56), receiving yards (582), and receiving touchdowns (5). He was named second-team All-American despite the lack of production. In high school, Loveland played linebacker and tight end while starring on the school’s basketball team. He was the 2021 Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year and chose Michigan over Alabama, LSU, and other schools.

3. Elijah Arroyo

Age – 21 (turns 22 on April 5th)

Height – 6’4”

Weight – 245

In his redshirt junior season at Miami, Arroyo was fourth on the team in receiving yards (590), fifth in receptions (fifth), and third in receiving touchdowns (7). Arroyo is a different style of receiver than Warren and Loveland. He primarily lined up at the end of the line of scrimmage or the slot. He has some serious yards after the catch ability with his strength and speed for his size. Arroyo led the Hurricanes in yards per catch (16.9). Prior to his breakout season, the redshirt-junior caught 11 footballs for 163 yards and one touchdown. Entering the Senior Bowl, he was a little under the radar, but really flashed during the practices. 

In high school, Arroyo was a four star recruit after accumulating over 1,200 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns in two seasons on the varsity level. He chose Miami over Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Purdue, and many others.

4. Mason Taylor

Age – 20 (turns 21 on May 8th)

Height – 6’5”

Weight – 250

Mason Taylor is an interesting prospect because of LSU typically known for its wide receivers. Taylor finished his Junior season third in receiving yards (546), receptions (55), but tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns (2). He isn’t the most explosive player when it comes to yards after catch, or making guys miss in the open field. What makes him an intriguing prospect is consistency. He doesn’t drop a top of passes and is a reliable option over the middle of the field. 

He was a four-star recruit coming out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida. He is from football royalty. His father, Jason Taylor, spent fifteen seasons in the NFL and became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017. His uncle is Zach Thomas, another Pro Football Hall of Famer after spending 12 seasons in the NFL as a linebacker.

5. Harold Fannin Jr.

Age – 20 (turns 21 on July 20th)

Height – 6’4”

Weight – 230

Fannin Jr. had one of the most prolific tight end seasons in college football history at Bowling Green. He was tabbed as a finalist for the John Mackey Award, but finished behind Tyler Warren. He finished his Junior season setting the record for receiving yards in a season by a tight end (1,555), receptions in a season by a tight end (117), FBS tight end single-season record for receiving yards per game (119.6), and the FBS single-season record for receptions per game (9.0). Finally, Fannin Jr. became the first tight end to lead the nation in receptions and receiving yards. 

In Bowling Green’s bowl game against Arkansas State, he brought in 17 passes for 213 yards and one touchdown. He recorded eight games with at least 100 receiving yards. Against top competition, he still produced. In week two, he caught 11 passes for 137 yards and a score against Penn State in a 34-27 loss at University Park. One week later, Fannin Jr. recorded 8 receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown in a 26-20 loss to Texas A&M at College Station. He was tabbed as the MAC Player of the Year and the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Lastly, he was a Consensus All-American for his record setting season. 

Fannin Jr. attended McKinley High School in Akron, Ohio where he was recognized as first-team All-Ohio as a safety while catching 36 passes for 601 yards and six touchdowns his senior season. 

6. Honorable Mentions

Some other players that can turn into serviceable NFL tight ends, with limited upside, are Mitchell Evans (Notre Dame), Terrance Ferguson (Oregon), Gunnar Helm (Texas), and Luke Lachey (Iowa).

7. ESPN Draft Analyst Matt Miller Joins Query & Company!

ESPN NFL Draft Analyst, Matt Miller, joins Query & Company to preview the upcoming NFL Draft and NFL Combine. Matt admits that there is a slight drop in talent from Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland to the next tier of tight ends in the draft, shares which position group is littered with talent and which is deprived of talent, and assesses Anthony Richardson through two seasons.