Colts tight end Tyler Warren to follow in Dallas Clark’s footsteps

A career that pans out to rival Dallas Clark’s would solidify Tyler Warren as a home-run draft selection.

The expectations surrounding rookie tight end Tyler Warren will likely be unfair, though they simultaneously showcase how high of a floor he offers at the next level.

As most understand at this point, Warren’s talent is the perfect addition to this current Colts offense, but the uncertainty that is Indy’s quarterback room remains the underlying ‘what-if’ scenario that could very well make or break the Colts’ season, and in turn, the passcatchers’ production.

When it comes to tight end production in the passing game, particularly for rookies, the bar set is low, though it has risen in recent years. Typically, a rookie tight end hauling in an approximate 500 yards and 5 touchdowns would be an all-timer. Since 2021, however, there has been an uptick in production from rookie tight ends.

Prior to Kyle Pitts’ impressive rookie campaign that saw the league’s second such season of a rookie tight end totaling 1,000 receiving yards (that is until Brock Bowers this past year), there were just seven instances of a rookie tight end surpassing 650 receiving yards. Fast forward four NFL seasons and there are now eleven such instances thanks to Kyle Pitts, Sam LaPorta, Dalton Kincaid, and Brock Bowers.

Despite this recent uptick in rookie tight end production, expectations for Tyler Warren should be tempered. It’s fair to say that the aforementioned output of ~500 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns remains the goal, but Warren, as a prospect, offers more of a day-one floor as a blocker, at least from a willingness standpoint, than any of the recent four names who’ve gone on to rewrite history books as rookie passcatchers.

With that in mind, even a season that results in 400 receiving yards and 3-4 touchdowns would be a successful rookie campaign for Tyler Warren. Due to the fact that Warren will be utilized in multiple facets of the offense — as a passcatcher, blocker, rusher, etc. — this type of output would be proof that not all production looks the same.

As far as breaking the mold goes, Warren became the second tight end in the history of the Indianapolis Colts to be drafted in the first round. Second to only Dallas Clark, of course. The similarities between him and Clark go past the draft, however.

Not only were Warren and Clark representatives of the ‘44’ jersey number, but both share strikingly comparable measurables and play with a sense of pride and determination that reflect their football psyches. As passcatchers, both Warren and Clark’s calling cards were/are their ability to make defenders miss after the catch, as well as their reliability as contested catchers.

Who better to call (FaceTime) the recent Colts’ first-rounder than the Ring of Honor member himself?

Tyler Warren is aware of Clark’s greatness and noted that he remembers hearing his name often as a kid. He showed appreciation to the Colts great for his support and was honored to be named in the same breath as Clark.

During a post-draft interview with Colts.com’s Larra Overton, Warren expressed his gratitude toward Clark:

“I think it’s really cool to have that standard here at the tight end position and to have a guy like that supporting me like that. That’s just awesome, right? Dallas Clark growing up, I remember hearing his name and the number. That’s kind of what it’s all about — being a Colt and playing tight end — so that’s awesome.”

The immediate support from a former Colts legend to hopefully a future one is not only evident but promising. When asked of his initial thoughts on the Colts’ decision to, for the second time in franchise history, spend a first-round pick on a tight end, Clark responded, “BALLER! I love it. If I can help him out in any way, I got him.”

When you dive a bit deeper into why Tyler Warren presents a similar mindset that Dallas Clark displayed throughout all of the years repping the Colts’ horseshoe. Former Colts center and interim HC Jeff Saturday had shared that Clark became a part of the offensive line due to his willingness as a blocker. Saturday explained, “He got adopted by the offensive line… he doesn’t have an ego.”

Whether it’s former coaches that he played with or against, NFL scouts or decision-makers, or Tyler Warren himself, that exact mindset radiates from the Colts’ newest tight end.

Statistical production is a non-issue to Tyler Warren, which is the picture-perfect answer that you want out of a tight end who is envisioned as the next every-down starter. When asked why he approaches the game the way he does, Warren said:

“I think it starts with understanding how football works. I can’t do anything by myself on this field, there are ten other guys on the field for a reason. You can’t do anything that’s gonna help you without someone next to you and the other guys around you. That’s what I really love about the game and how I try to approach it. It has nothing to do with me, I’m just a part of a unit and a part of a team and we’ve got one goal which is to win games.”

Regardless of how the season shakes out for the Indianapolis Colts, the surface suggests that they’ve struck gold with the draft class’s consensus top tight end who should make a mark for years to come. For one of the grittiest positions that the sport has to offer, Tyler Warren projects as one of the next best.