With the 2025 regular season upon us, let’s take a closer look at the Indianapolis Colts’ rookie class, examining what kind of roles this group will have in their first years.

TE Tyler Warren

Warren’s impact was felt right away this offseason during OTAs and minicamp. Regardless of who was under center at that time, he made plays in the passing game. From the jump this regular season, he will be a key part of the offense.

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Warren provides a reliable presence over the middle and is a difficult matchup with his combination of size and athleticism. He also brings added physicality to the tight end position as well.

While Warren’s pass-catching production will garner the attention, he will make a big impact in the run game as a blocker. That do-it-all presence at tight end adds some unpredictability to the Colts‘ offense, with Warren able to fill so many roles. This then opens up opportunities for him and others within the offense.

DE JT Tuimoloau

At Ohio State, Tuimoloau left his mark against both the run and passing games. With the Colts, he will be a regular member of the defensive end rotation behind Kwity Paye and Laiatu Latu.

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My guess is that we see Tuimoloau more so on early downs, while he provides Lou Anarumo with the flexibility to move him inside if needed on passing downs. During the preseason, his workload was relatively split between run and passing plays.

CB Justin Walley

Walley is out for the season after sustaining an ACL injury in the Colts’ joint practice vs. the Ravens.

OT Jalen Travis

Travis will be the Colts’ swing tackle off the bench this season, filling in at both right and left tackle as needed.

He is one player in particular who really caught the attention of GM Chris Ballard this offseason. At Iowa State, Travis was one of the more efficient pass-blocking tackles in college football.

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RB DJ Giddens

Jonathan Taylor will continue to shoulder the workload at running back, but Giddens appeared to secure the RB2 role over the summer.

Just like we saw from him at Kansas State, Giddens has an impressive ability to make defenders miss, either turning nothing into something or a run into a big gain.

Giddens can also provide the Colts with a pass-catching presence out of the backfield–an element that this offense was missing in 2024.

QB Riley Leonard

Leonard had an efficient showing in his final preseason game against Cincinnati, but as the third quarterback on the depth chart, this season will be more so about continuing to develop and grow his game.

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IDL Tim Smith

Smith made the initial 53-man roster but was released a day later to make room for Chad Muma and is now on the practice squad.

Smith was a run-stuffer at Alabama and brought some versatility, able to line up across multiple gaps. However, there weren’t enough plays made over the summer.

S Hunter Wohler

Wohler was placed on season-ending IR after sustaining a foot injury against Green Bay.

CB Johnathan Edwards

Edwards was the lone UDFA to make the team after an impressive summer. In a reshaped cornerback room, Edwards most likely provides depth at the position on the back end and could help on special teams this season.

This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts’ rookie outlook: Potential impact during 2025 season