Using Pro Football Focus' mock draft simulator, what might the Indianapolis Colts have to trade away if they want to move up in the first round to ensure they land Penn State tight end Tyler Warren?
While Warren is an extremely popular pick for the Colts in many mock drafts, there are a number of teams who could benefit from his do-it-all skill set. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. recently highlighted a few teams in the top 10 that could be landing spots for Warren.
"It's anywhere in that top 10," Kiper said on a conference call Wednesday via the Indy Star. "It begins with Jacksonville at No. 5. Jacksonville can use Tyler Warren. There's no question. You think about Trevor Lawrence and you think about what Tyler Warren would mean to that Jacksonville offense with (Evan) Engram gone.
"So I think it begins at Jacksonville, and then you go to the Jets; do they take a right tackle or do they take Tyler Warren, the tight end? ... Then you get down to the Bears at 10. Even though they have Cole Kmet, they need a third option behind DJ Moore and Rome Odunze and Warren could be that guy there."
So to move up to get Warren, what did it cost in this mock draft scenario?
I ended up moving up to pick No. 7 in a trade with the New York Jets. To facilitate the trade, I utilized the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart to make sure it was a fair swap for both teams.
With that value chart as my guide, the Jets would get picks 14 and 45, while the Colts would get picks 7 and 146 in the fifth round.
The challenging part for the Colts in making a move up the draft board early on is that tight end isn't the only need where they could use impact help. Linebacker, offensive line, and defensive line are all in that category as well. However, while the Colts landed Warren, they are now without a second-round pick.
If Warren does go before the Colts are on the clock and they don't trade up, this is a fairly deep tight end draft class, but when it comes to the Shane Steichen system and what the Colts want to accomplish on offense, both in the run game and through the air, Warren feels like a seamless fit.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Colts trade up for Penn State TE Tyler Warren in mock
