Here are three things to watch for during the Indianapolis Colts’ rookie minicamp practices.

With rookie minicamp taking place this weekend for the Indianapolis Colts, here are three things that we should be keeping our eyes on as the team takes the practice field.

Participating in Colts‘ rookie minicamp will be their eight draft picks, 15 undrafted rookie signings, 38 tryouts, and a few non-rookie participants who don’t have any accrued NFL seasons.

For the Colts’ draft picks and UDFAs, rookie minicamp provides them with the opportunity to begin acclimating to their new team and the NFL level before the second-year players and veterans return for OTAs.

For most, this will be their first time in the facility, and the process of learning the playbook and laying the foundation for what’s ahead will begin.

“I think it’s really just we’re learning the playbook right now,” Shane Steichen said about rookie minicamp. “Obviously, these practices are fast, taking care of them, we’re not in pads so we gotta be smart there, but really looking at football IQ, the fundamentals, seeing the movement skills out here is what we’re trying to get done.”

As always, there will be plenty to monitor, but here are the three big things on my radar.

Tyler Warren in the passing game

As we’ve detailed previously, Warren’s impact is going to go well beyond the passing game as he brings a do-it-all presence to the Colts’ offense. However, the Colts haven’t had a tight end eclipse 500 receiving yards in a season since 2018, and last year, the entire tight end room combined didn’t even hit that mark.

Warren is coming off a 2024 season at Penn State where he surpassed 100 receptions and 1,200 receiving yards, both of which ranked among the best when compared to wide receivers as well. We will see Warren utilized in the passing game in a variety of ways, but as GM Chris Ballard has mentioned, over the middle of the field and Warren’s overall reliability as a pass catcher is where his biggest impact could come from early on.

This ability to threaten the middle of the field will then open up opportunities elsewhere for other Colts’ pass catchers.

DJ Giddens’ big-play ability

Ballard said at the NFL combine that the Colts needed more production from the backup running back position this season. Last year, Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson combined for just 88 carries on the year and collectively averaged under 4.0 yards per rush.

Giddens, however, is bringing some juice and big-play ability to that backup running back role. Last season, Giddens averaged 6.5 yards per rush and ranked sixth among backs in average yards after contact, 20th in missed tackles forced, and 15th in rushes of 10-plus yards, according to PFF.

Do any UDFA’s flash?

Making the 53-man roster for any UDFA is always going to be an uphill battle, but each summer, there always seems to be one or two who grab the attention of the coaching staff and make a roster push. Last summer, it was guard Dalton Tucker.

Admittedly this year, when it comes to the Colts’ roster, on paper anyway, there doesn’t seem to be many openings for a UDFA when it comes to that final roster. However, the interior offensive line, tight end, and safety are a few units where there are some unknowns on the back end of the depth chart and someone could emerge.

For more on the Colts’ undrafted rookie signings, you can find that here.