Would Falcons Consider TE Tyler Warren at No. 15?

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot has selected offensive skill position players in the first round during each of his four drafts at the helm.

Will he make it five in a row when the 2025 NFL Draft starts April 24?

It's an unlikely happenstance, but Fontenot has bypassed other needs to select the draft's best available offensive player -- and there's a path to Penn State tight end Tyler Warren being a viable option.

The Falcons first have to decide what they want to do with tight end Kyle Pitts, who will play 2025 under the fifth-year option associated with his rookie contract.

The 24-year-old Pitts caught 47 passes for 602 yards and four touchdowns this season. He set a new career high in touchdowns, but he saw fewer targets (74) than he did in 2023 (90) and subsequently had fewer receptions and receiving yards.

Pitts hasn't reached 700 yards, let alone 1,000, since his rookie season -- and Fontenot, during his end-of-season press conference Jan. 9, acknowledged Pitts hasn't taken a step forward statistically over the past three years.

"When you take a player that high in the draft, obviously you expect a certain level," Fontenot said. "We understand that Kyle had a really good rookie year, and he hasn't equaled or exceeded that production since then. So, there's no excuses we're making about it."

In the dead period between the end of the regular season and the start of the NFL combine, Pitts has been a popular name among pundits as a potential trade candidate. If the Falcons deal Pitts, blocking ace Charlie Woerner becomes the lone tight end with significant game experience on Atlanta's roster.

Then, tight end becomes an important need.

There are, however, two things to consider: One, the 2025 draft is deep on tight ends, and two, the Falcons have significantly more pressing needs, headlined by holes in their pass rush and secondary.

But if Fontenot, who stunned many -- and was correct in retrospect -- by drafting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. some six weeks after signing four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins last year and who drafted running back Bijan Robinson after Tyler Allgeier rushed for 1,000 yards the year before, has proven anything, it's that he values offense.

To be more specific, he values the best offensive player available to provides the most winning impact.

Warren is a bit of a unique talent at tight end. He aligned everywhere for Penn State, taking snaps at wildcat quarterback, in-line, the perimeter and seemingly any other spot he'd be eligible to play.

The 22-year-old flourished. He finished the year with 104 receptions for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns. He stands 6'6" and weighs 261 pounds, but his vintage build doesn't do justice to his athleticism or playmaking ability.

Warren is one of the draft's best players. NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah ranked Warren at No. 5 on his big board, citing stylistic similarities to former New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski. As such, it's far from a certainty Warren even reaches Atlanta's selection at No. 15 overall.

"He just walls guys off. He looks like a billboard rolling down the seam. He's enormous," Jeremiah said Feb. 20. "He has a huge catch radius. He is so physical and tough with the ball in his hands after the catch.

"They use him on the wild cat stuff and use him as a runner and do those different things because he's a really hard guy to get on the ground."

Still, tight end shouldn't be a first-round option for the Falcons with their current makeup. If Pitts is moved, perhaps Warren speculation picks up.

But that's a big "if" -- and even then, Fontenot and the rest of Atlanta's staff understands how important it is to address the team's pass rush.

And for as versatile as Warren is, he won't do much to help the Falcons pressure opposing quarterbacks.