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Why the 49ers Could Draft Penn State Tight End Tyler Warren in Round 1

If the 49ert draft Warren, that could mean they expect a difficult negotiation with Kittle. Stay tuned.
Grant Cohn|
Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren (44) against the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren (44) against the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers desperately need offensive linemen and defensive linemen, but they may not draft for need in Round 1 this year.

Instead, they could take Penn State tight end Tyler Warren with the 11th pick. Warren isn't exactly the next Brock Bowers, but he is considered the best tight end in the draft and potentially the best player available for the 49ers when they pick. This season, Warren caught 104 passes, gained 1,451 yards from scrimmage and scored 12 touchdowns. He would be a massive upgrade in the starting lineup over Kyle Juszczyk and an incredible complement to and eventual replacement for George Kittle.

Last year, the 49ers drafted wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in Round 1 even though they had bigger needs elsewhere. And he wasn't the best player available, either -- even the 49ers didn't give him a first-round grade. They took him because they were engaged in a messy contract negotiation with Brandon Aiyuk and wanted to create leverage for themselves by adding a receiver who could replace Aiyuk if he were to hold out during the season.

Which brings us back to Kittle. He is entering the final year of his contract and coming off one of the best seasons of his career. It stands to reason that he would want another contract extension and might hold out until he gets it -- that's why Aiyuk and Trent Williams did last year and it's what Nick Bosa did the year before. Why would Kittle be any different?

If the 49ert draft Warren, that could mean they expect a difficult negotiation with Kittle. Stay tuned.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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