The Denver Broncos hope they found a ‘joker’ for their offense by signing Evan Engram to a two-year contract during free agency.
In our scouting reports leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, we have covered a handful of tight end prospects that may be of interest to the franchise. One we haven’t covered yet, but I discussed in prior Future Broncos segments is Penn State standout Tyler Warren.
After an incredible season reeling in 104 receptions for 1,233 yards, and 8 receiving touchdowns, the Nittany Lion was seventh in Heisman voting. Warren’s prowess on the gridiron this past year also earned him the Big Ten Conference’s tight end of the year honors and the coveted John Mackey Award which is given to the nation’s top player at the position.
In return, his draft stock has rightfully skyrocketed, and it’s now expected he will come off the board in the top twelve picks of this year’s draft. I think it’s very unlikely the Broncos trade up. Though if Warren slips a bit, I have no doubt Head Coach Sean Payton and General Manager George Payton would be intrigued with his skillset and could ponder a trade up for him.
Let’s take a deeper look at Warren as a prospect, his strengths and weaknesses, and why the Broncos should be interested in adding him to their squad.
Player Profile: Tyler Warren — Tight End — Penn State
Height: 6’5-1/2” | Weight: 256 pounds | Arm Length: 31-3/4” | Hand Size: 9-1/2”
Opted not to do any athletic testing at NFL Combine and Pro Day.
Statistics at Penn State: 56 games, 153 receptions, 1,839 receiving yards, 19 receiving touchdowns. 32 rushing attempts, 224 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns.
Hart’s Scouting Report
Positives:
- Possesses desired size, weight, and length for an NFL tight end
- Tape shows great athleticism and fluidity for his physical profile
- Impact player who had an incredibly productive senior campaign
- Versatile weapon who was utilized in a myriad of manners and even as a Wildcat option
- Coaches and teammates rave about his football intelligence and character
- Tape shows quality ability to break tackles and accumulate yards after the catch
- Zone coverage decimator who can find and exploit soft areas in coverage
- Proven red zone threat with a penchant for coming down with contested catches
- Quality hands and sports a low drop rate hovering around 5-percent which is small given the volume of targets that went his way this past season
Negatives:
- Needs to improve as a pass and run blocker in order to be a more viable threat as an in-line tight end
- Will need to put in some effort to polish up his route running
- May have issues being a seam buster against more athletic competition in the pros