Could Liam Coen’s Secret Weapon Be Penn State Star?

Penn State's Tyler Warren, a top-5 overall player according to Daniel Jeremiah, should be more dangerous than Tyler Higbee. Could he be a Jacksonville Jaguars' option?

Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren (44) celebrates his touchdown catch against the Boise State Broncos during their Vrbo Fiesta Bowl matchup at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Dec. 31, 2024. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tyler Warren is 6-6 and 257 pounds. He played quarterback at his Virginia high school, excelled as a Penn State tight end and next month will be a top-five selection in the NFL draft.

That’s according to NFL.com’s Eric Edholm, who projected on Thursday what many are starting to believe: Rather than nabbing Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5 overall, the Jaguars will draft a versatile playmaker to replace Evan Engram at tight end. Edholm said Warren would be an excellent fit.

“With a first-year general manager/head coach combo -- and the talent not synching perfectly with need -- it's tricky to forecast the Jaguars' pick. They've made two big offseason additions in the secondary, but I think Liam Coen wants to add pieces to this offense. The versatile Warren can give him a more dangerous Tyler Higbee (whom Coen coached in L.A.).”

When Coen was in L.A., as Rams offensive coordinator in 2022, Higbee recorded a single-season career-best 72 receptions. Warren is the same size and has comparable speed, but there’s good reason Warren is a projected first-rounder.

Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said last month that the Class of 2025 doesn’t have the same top-end depth as in years past, including 2024 when the Raiders surprised many by taking at 13th overall Brock Bowers, who wound up breaking the NFL’s rookie receptions record. And while Jeremiah didn’t rank Warren higher than Bowers, he wouldn’t be surprised to see Warren drafted higher than 13.

In fact, Jeremiah said Warren is one of the five best players in the entire 2025 class.

“Tyler Warren is my fifth overall player because his mixture of just size, physicality,” Jeremiah said. “He just walls guys off. He looks like a billboard rolling down the seam. He's enormous. 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 Wildcat stuff and use him as a runner and do those different things because he's a really hard guy to get on the ground.”

Like coaches, Jeremiah said many tight ends come from trees – the Rob Gronkowski tree and Travis Kelce tree. Warren compares more to Gronkowski.

“He’s better on the move, crossers, seams, get the ball in his hands and make people tackle him,” Jeremiah said.

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