It’s early, but Tyler Warren is creating a lot of buzz.
A team’s first round draft pick is always going to be the focus of a lot of attention as things get underway to start the season. The Indianapolis Colts mandatory minicamp created exactly that type of buzz as Tyler Warren started to turn some heads. He was the target all along; an uber talented and athletic presence that could come in right way and elevate a tight end unit that struggled dramatically last year. So far, so good as Warren has come in and impressed the media and coaching staff to start his budding career.
Let’s stop for a minute and take all of this with a grain of salt. We have heard the chatter before about rookies who look the part in offseason camp but then come in and lack some of that luster when the action really begins. Look no further than last year and Adonai Mitchell. Warren seems like the real deal, but the cart shouldn’t go before the horse as there is a lot of time and development between now and the Hall of Fame. With that said, the reports have been glowing. Coach Shane Steichen has been impressed.
“I think the great thing about him — very smart football player. He picks up things very quickly,” Steichen said in his Tuesday press conference. “You tell him once, he’s got a good feel for it. And even if he’s got to correct something, he’s got a great mindset of getting it corrected on the next time he goes out there.
While these reports and quotes don’t mean Warren is the second coming of Tony Gonzalez, it is better to receive high praise than a tepid response regarding one’s abilities. There is a lot to absorb on the NFL level. Warren demonstrating his proficiency at receiving feedback and information and turning it into output and knowledge is encouraging. Joel Erickson of the IndyStar took those intangibles and explained how they are translating to results on the field.
Warren was consistently open in the short to intermediate range of the field, giving Daniel Jones a target over the middle of the field, and he made a handful of chunk plays down the field again. If there was one receiving skill Warren didn’t flash in mandatory minicamp, it was his ability to bring down 50/50 throws, but he hasn’t been given a good chance in those situations by the quarterbacks yet.
It is clear that Tyler Warren is not a finished product. That should be obvious. He does, however, appear to have a solid base from which to build. The raw talent and ability is what needs to be crafted with the help of the Colts’ coaching staff. With his ability to take in information and apply it, the learning curve appears more than manageable, and that is about all one could ask for at this point. If he can keep learning and getting better every day, the Colts may have a truly special player.
