Stampede Blue Writers Roundtable: Colts Mock Draft Round 1

The 2025 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and officially kicks off Thursday 24th April at 8pm Eastern Time. The Indianapolis Colts are scheduled to have 7 draft picks this year (unless they decide to trade up or down). The team is armed with 3 of their 7 draft picks in the top 100, so they will likely be able to grab some talented prospects similar to last year’s haul.

Stephen Reed – Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

I’m taking to easy way out here because I’ve been projecting Tyler Warren to the Colts since mid-way through the 2024 college season. He’s a weapon all over the field and is a solid enough run blocker to where he never really has to come off. We all know just how poor the Colts TE room was last season. If we’re trying to pound that point home, lets look at the numbers. As a whole, the Colts four TEs had 39 receptions for 467 yards and 2 TDs in 2024. Tyler Warren had 104 receptions for 1233 yards and 8 TDs, plus another 218 rushing yards and 4 TDs. In other words, Warren, by himself, put up almost 1,000 more yards from scrimmage than the entire Colts TE room did collectively. To put it simply, Tyler Warren can do it all. His explosive playmaking ability is something the Colts seriously lack at the TE position, which is vitally important to Shane Steichen’s system being successful.

Speaking of Shane Steichen, he hasn’t been subtle in his awareness that the Colts need to upgrade their third down options. For a young QB, an elite level TE is the warm security blanket that helps them thrive, see Jayden Daniels, Patrick Mahomes or Jalen Hurts. Warren provides that safety net for Anthony Richardson, yes, I’m assuming he’s the starter, and the valuable chess piece that Stechen has lacked in his time in Indy.

Will Warren be available when they pick? Maybe. Maybe not. However, he’s arguably the most complete TE prospect in this draft. Given the depth at the position this year, I wouldn’t be shocked if teams prioritized other more scarce positions first and Warren slid as a result.

Andrew Aziz – Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia

While the dream is to land Tyler Warren, I don’t see him being on the board when it’s time for the Colts to pick. The next big position of need for the Colts is the off-ball linebacker spot. Jalon Walker is a versatile box player who can play on the edge or off the ball and his versatility is something the Colts can play with as they need some help at edge as well as linebacker.

One of the things I really appreciate about Walker is his ability to read the game. He’s not just a reckless rusher charging forward—he processes what’s happening in the backfield and reacts accordingly. This was evident against Texas, where he was spying Ewers, made the right decision, took a perfect angle, and delivered a big sack. His versatility stands out, but so does his intelligence, allowing him to be deployed in a role similar to how the Cowboys use Micah Parsons. With his explosiveness and athleticism, he firmly belongs in my top 12 prospects for the draft. The Colts should look to add to their new look defense and look to make this unit a Top 12 group in the league.

Chris Shepherd – Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

A year ago I was convinced the Colts didn’t want to have anything to do with Brock Bowers. I was sure they were excited for the potential of a healthy Jelani Woods and the potential depth that the rest of the TE room would offer. As it turns out, I was wrong. The Colts tried unsuccessfully to trade up, first for Malik Nabers and then for Bowers. Bowers went on to have a historic season for the Las Vegas Raiders. There is no Bowers-level tight end prospect in this draft but there are several very good ones. The Colts tight end room is bare. Chris Ballard said he needs to give head coach Shane Steichen someone who can control the middle of the field and make teams have to plan to stop that part of his offense. The natural pick is Penn State’s Tyler Warren, but in my opinion, unless the Colts successfully trade up this year, they’re going to miss out on the highly versatile player that someone is going to convince themselves is a unique enough player to focus their offense around. Thing is, they might be right. Tyler Warren’s tape is a fever dream of offensive possibility for the right play caller. But in the reality I’m living in right now, the Colts miss out on Warren and land Loveland, someone who is absolutely capable of being the type of middle of the field threat Ballard said they need. Loveland isn’t a perfect fit in the Colts offense but he is young and will grow as both a receiver and blocker, but his feel for and understanding of the game may never quite be what Warren’s is. That said, Loveland is a highly talented prospect worthy of the Colts pick and it’s important to note, neither Warren nor Loveland’s first seasons are going to hold a candle to Brock Bowers’ rookie campaign.

Mateo Caliz – James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee

A year after missing out on Brock Bowers, I think the Colts will once again miss out on this year’s top tight end prospect in Tyler Warren, which will probably tempt Chris Ballard into doing his absolute favorite thing in the entire world and trade down to get more picks. I believe there is a real possibility that the Colts end up picking in the 20-24 range, which seems like the predicted landing spot for edge rusher James Pearce Jr. The team really needs an edge rusher after seeing Dayo go, and Samson Ebukam is coming off a torn Achilles. You can never have too many pass-rushers, and coupling him with Latu would give new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo two guys that can easily beat one-on-one matchups on the outside.

There are some reports about character concerns, which would have eliminated from the Colts’ draft board in the past, but this time Ballard might be forced to take a risk getting a player like this. There is also worries about Pearce struggling against NFL caliber tackles, but if there were not any issues with a player with this profile then he would not be available outside of the top 5.

Luke Schultheis – Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

If Tyler Warren slides to the 14th overall pick, this would be a slam dunk pick for a state that knows a thing or two about great basketball. Having just missed on Brock Bowers last year, the Colts take one of the most complete top tight end prospects to come out in recent memory. Warren can catch. Warren can block. He provides a sure-handed target over the middle of the field, and looking back, there was another former elite Big Ten tight end who infamously donned #44, and made plays for the Horseshoe for a long period of time. Warren’s powerful blocking fits Indy’s ‘Run the Damn Ball’ mantra too, meaning they don’t have to change a thing. If Warren is comparable to Dallas Clark—or even Jeremy Shockey prime, he’ll be one of the long-term pillars of the Colts offense for years to come. Whether that’s catching passes from Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones, or the Colts’ next franchise quarterback hopeful, it doesn’t much matter going forward because Warren will make impact plays as a perennial NFL Pro Bowler at tight end, where Indy has been lacking.

Noah Compton – Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

After missing out on the consensus top tight end prospect two years in a row, the Colts elect to continue fortifying its young core on the defensive side of the ball by adding an athletic freakshow at off-ball linebacker who doubles as a human chess piece. Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell is the definition of a Swiss Army knife on defense — efficient run defender, instinctive in coverage, natural pass rusher, inherent playmaker — and when you consider his untapped potential coupled with Colts DC Lou Anarumo’s multiple and creative ways, Campbell is a seamless fit for the new era in Indy.

Andrew Thomison – Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

After making serious upgrades to their secondary, with the additions of safety Cam Bynum and cornerback Charvarius Ward, Indianapolis hasn’t pigeonholed themselves into one particular position with their first-round pick. With that in mind, as easy as it would be to pick a different player that is still a need for this Colts team, such as linebacker or edge rusher, Indianapolis hasn’t spent nearly as many financial resources this offseason in upgrading their offense. There is no greater need for Indianapolis’ offense than tight end, and it’s not particularly close. Whether it’s Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory, or Jelani Woods, who has struggled to stay healthy during his first two seasons, the Colts don’t currently have a tight end on their roster who can help open things up in the middle of the field. Penn State’s Tyler Warren is the kind of playmaking, big-time target that can do just that and more.

Given how big this need is for them, I’ll even go as far as to say the Colts just might be willing to part with future draft capital to ensure they get their guy in Warren. He is a 6’6,” do-it-all kind of tight end that has only helped his draft stock over the course of the past season. Warren is exactly the kind of weapon this offense has been sorely missing. His presence in key situations and in the red zone alone would provide an instant upgrade to a Colts passing offense and tight end room that not only struggled from a production standpoint in 2024, but was less-than-spectacular.

Elliott Denton-Singh – EDGE Mykel Williams (Georgia)

Everybody wants a tight end but what the Colts need is to give Lou some help on defense. A year after going for production over traits Ballard goes back to what he loves the most, an upside athlete with length and traits edge position.

Mykal Williams is has been built in a lab with his impressive build and length for days! His length matched with his explosive first step are perfect for a running partner to Laiatu Latu. Williams is strong at the point of attack and holds more than his own in the trenches. Williams comes into Indy as the Dayo Odeyingbo replacement with the position flexibility to match. He still has a lot to learn in terms of secondary rush moves but his bull rush is great already and his ability to hold up against the run should push him into the edge rotation early.

The Colts have ONE edge rusher under contract past 2026, why not get a long term answer at the position now in a deep draft rather than when it’s too late.

Thomas Butler-Guerrero – Tight End Tyler Warren (Penn State)

Tyler Warren went berserk in his senior campaign, leading Penn State to its first ever College Football Playoff berth. He led all Power Four conference tight ends with 104 receptions for 1,230 receiving yards and scored 12 total touchdowns, earning first-team All-American honors and the 2024 John Mackey Award.

Perhaps the biggest issue Indianapolis aims to fix in 2025 is sustaining drives on offense. After the departures of two starters with Kylen Granson (Eagles) and Mo Ali-Cox (UFA), Indianapolis need to get better performances from its tight end unit. Most of the noise surrounding Anthony Richardson’s status as a starter stem from his league-worst 48% completion rate. Richardson also posted the league’s highest drop rate at 11.3%, so Colts pass catchers must also share some of the blame. Warren’s 62% contested catch rate against a low 2.8% drop rate is a major upgrade from the lack of production in 2024.