Leading up the NFL Draft, NewYorkJets.com will use NFL Draft analyst sound to "Make Your Case" why certain draft prospects would be a good fit for the team.
The Jets hold eight picks in the 2025 NFL Draft including the No. 7 overall selection. The first round will take place April 24 in Green Bay at 8 p.m. EDT. Day 2 will be April 25 and Day 3 April 26.
Today's player: Penn State TE Tyler Warren
Background/Player Profile
Warren (6-5, 256) had a breakout 2024 season for the Nittany Lions and won the John Mackey Award, given to the nation's top tight end. The first-team All-American led the Big Ten as a redshirt senior with 104 receptions for 1,233 yards and 8 touchdowns. He ran for 4 additional scores.
"He can go make plays down the field for your quarterback," NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said at the NFL Combine in February. "In the red zone, that big frame and target, he can wall guys off and then in the running back room, oh my gosh, let's run behind him. He can move people in the run game."
In his three prior seasons, Warren, 22, combined for 49 catches, 606 yards and 11 TDs. He leaves Happy Valley first among PSU tight ends with 25 total touchdowns (19 receiving, 6 rushing), 153 receptions, 1,839 yards and five 100-yard games.
He wears No. 44 because his father, Terry, who played college football at Richmond from 1987-90, told Tyler to run with the ball like fullback John Riggins. Riggins started his Hall-of-Fame NFL career with the Green & White as the No. 6 overall pick out of Kansas in 1971.
"I know in the quarterback room there are some tight ends that aren't very popular [because they] can't get open, can't make plays," Jeremiah said. "Quarterbacks don't love them. There are other tight ends in the running back room [who say] he can't seal the edge, I get hit in the back every single time I run because he can't block anybody.
"Tyler Warren -- he's going to be popular in both those rooms."
Warren, the Mechanicsville, VA, native, was a three-sport-high-school athlete. He lettered in basketball four years and baseball three years and played quarterback for the football team. A three-time captain for Atlee High School, Warren earned All-State honors twice and Team MVP twice.
The Fit
The Jets tight ends room includes fourth-year player Jeremy Ruckert, drafted in the third round in 2021, free-agent signing Stone Smartt and a pair of players who signed reserve/future contracts in January in Zack Kuntz and Neal Johnson.
While the Jets like the potential of the group, it's an inexperienced unit. They've combined for 66 receptions, 313 yards and 1 touchdown.
Where He's Projected in Mock Drafts
NFL.com: No. 5 overall (JAX)
PFF: No. 7 overall (NYJ)
CBS Sports: No. 13 overall (MIA)
ESPN: No. 14 overall (IND)
Other Players in the Field
Warren is projected as the top tight end in this year's class, which is regarded as one of the deepest positions. Other top tight ends include Michigan's Colston Loveland, whose shoulder injury cut his 2024 season short, and Miami's Elijah Arroyo. Another intriguing player is Bowling Green's Harold Fannin Jr., a consensus All-American in 2024 and MAC MVP. Fannin led the FBS with 117 receptions and 1,555 yards.
