To his credit, Warren never asked Franklin, a reigning NFL 2nd-Team All-Pro and team captain for the Colts, because the top rookie didn’t think he has earned that right yet.
On ‘Up & Adams’ with host Kay Adams, Indianapolis Colts starting linebacker Zaire Franklin confirmed that first round rookie Tyler Warren never asked him if he’d relinquish #44, which was the prior jersey number the prized Penn State tight end previously donned at Happy Valley:
Does Zaire Franklin think Tyler Warren has to earn No. 44?
The rookie never asked… and Zaire just might’ve said yes.@heykayadams | @ZiggySmalls_ | @Colts pic.twitter.com/JNUKn9ZR50
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) June 9, 2025
Warren was recently selected by Indy with the 14th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Of course, many Colts fans were initially hoping that Warren would wear #44, which was also the number of another former All-Big Ten tight end and first round pick, Dallas Clark, who was a Super Bowl Champion, Pro Bowler, and would eventually join the franchise’s Ring of Honor after his highly productive playing career in Indianapolis.
For Warren, he wore the jersey number collegiately to honor former Washington fullback great (and Super Bowl MVP) John Riggins, the NFL All-Pro who Warren’s father encouraged him to emulate regarding his notoriously physical running style at the pro level.
To his credit, Warren never asked Franklin, a reigning NFL 2nd-Team All-Pro and team captain for the Colts, because the top rookie didn’t think he has earned that right yet:
“He’s a captain,” Warren said via The Athletic’s James Boyd during the team’s recent minicamp. “I don’t really have a spot to try and ask for his number.”
That is something that really resonated with Franklin, who was a former 2018 7th round pick and the last rookie selected by the Colts in his draft class, and was subsequently assigned #97—which needless to say, is ugly aesthetics for an off-the-ball linebacker these days.
From that standpoint, the rookie Warren earned the veteran linebacker’s initial respect.
All isn’t for naught though, as the #84 jersey that Warren will now wear in his debut year with the Colts is the same number as another former Pro Bowl tight end (and obvious fan favorite), Jack Doyle, who did a lot of the same ‘dirty work’ that the rookie has already been regarded for entering the league.
