Trey McBride spends much of his offseason watching film. Not just of himself, but of other tight ends, hoping to learn something from their game and implement it into his.
One of the tight ends was Colts rookie Tyler Warren.
“He was a good player (at Penn State), made a lot of plays, did a lot of different things,” McBride said. “He ran the ball, caught the ball. He’s a very good, contested catcher and I’m excited to see him play.”
The success has translated to the NFL quickly for the first-round pick. Warren leads all tight ends in receiving yards with 307. McBride sits third with 275 yards.
Colts coach Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon worked together in Philadelphia, so the Cardinals coach has seen various ways Steichen has deployed tight ends. Steichen has experience working with Dallas Goedert and Hall of Famer Antonio Gates while they were in San Diego.
The Colts use Warren as a do-it-all player. He plays as a traditional tight end and serves as one of their deep threats. He has lined up as a fullback and has had four rushes this season. Warren has also played some quarterback, being used in wildcat situations and attempted his first pass last weekend.
“He’s got some creativity that gets him the ball, and he’s got a really cool skillset,” Gannon said, adding that the Cardinals liked Warren’s tape coming out of college. “He gets open, and he catches it, and he can run after the catch. He’s got a huge catch radius, ball skills, and he can block. I know he’s a rookie, but he definitely jumps off the tape.”