Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: Tyler Warren (Pick 1.09)

Fantasy managers in dynasty formats will largely face the same question with tight end Tyler Warren that they will with Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Emeka Egbuka.

How much should managers value long-term upside over the opportunity to contribute immediately?

Tight end Tyler Warren is a top 10 talent based on complete career trajectories. But for 2025, it's possible he's not even the consensus top rookie tight end.

Still, to guarantee landing Warren in dynasty drafts, managers are going to have to strongly begin considering him around No. 9 overall.

With that in mind, let's dive into why Warren could be the No. 9 overall selection in a 2025 dynasty rookie draft.

Pick 1.09: TE Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

Warren was largely considered the top tight end prospect going into the 2025 NFL Draft. However, Warren was not the first player off the board at the position.

That honor went to Michigan's Colston Loveland, who the Chicago Bears drafted at No. 10 overall. The Colts drafted Warren at No. 14.

Even though Loveland went first, Warren has remained in the conversation as the top rookie tight end for fantasy experts. But expectations for Warren's first season are down because of his landing spot.

"Indy has a ton of talented pass-catching options that will push Warren weekly for target volume," Fantasy Pros' Derek Brown wrote. "Michael Pittman and Josh Downs presumably will be above him in the target pecking order.

"I still love Warren as a player, but I’m worried that after year one, he won’t just become the sexy buy-low for 2026. The passing volume, quarterback play, and receiving depth chart are all big-time concerns for his 2025 outlook."

Brown rated Warren his top rookie tight end for PPR leagues. Warren is also currently the No. 9 tight end on the Fantasy Pros rankings.

But Loveland is just ahead of him as the No. 8 rookie.

The Colts as Warren's landing spot is a very legitimate concern. Indianapolis had three wide receivers who posted 800 receiving yards last season. The team's 2024 second-round pick Adonai Mitchell also had 23 catches with 312 receiving yards.

Indianapolis' top tight end, Kylen Granson, had 14 catches for 182 yards.

That's obviously a very small target share. Even if Peyton Manning was still behind center for the Colts, the amount of pass-catchers in the Indianapolis offense would be a concern.

But Manning isn't back there. It might not be Anthony Richardson either. Although he is "expected to be fine" by July's training camp, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Richardson is again dealing with a shoulder concern this spring.

Even if healthy, it's difficult to trust an offense with Richardson at the helm. If not Richardson, then Daniel Jones is projected to be the team's starter.

Those quarterbacks aren't capable of feeding all the mouths on Indianapolis' offensive depth chart.

Where Warren fits in remains to be seen. Sometimes, tight ends can carve out a niche with a below average quarterback because they can be a safety valve. If that happens with Warren in Indianapolis, his rookie season could still be stellar.

But the consistency might not be there for Warren to be a plug-and-play draft option immediately.

Still, the career upside is there. Warren had a Big Ten-leading 104 catches for 1,233 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last season. The Penn State offense ran through him, which is a rare thing for a tight end to achieve.

If fantasy managers need a rookie tight end to help them win a championship in 2025, then Warren won't be the best choice. But if identifying prospects with the best long-term potential is the goal, the Colts tight end is a top 10 pick in any rookie format.