It's no secret at this point that Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren has played anything but like a rookie in the NFL.
Warren has looked incredible through 10 games in 2025, and is only going to improve after already becoming one of the Colts' top pass-catching weapons.
With the upcoming tilt with the Kansas City Chiefs, it gives fans a chance to see the future (Warren) and arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history in Travis Kelce.
The question is: can Warren become the next Kelce? While he has just 10 games logged, he looks similar in threat, play style, and diversity of skill.
The Dominance as a Pass-Catcher
Colts tight end Tyler Warren (blue and white uniform) celebrates after scoring a big touchdown.
Oct 26, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (84) celebrates a touchdown by Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) (not pictured) during the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Kelce has been just that throughout his illustrious 13-year career: dominant.
Defenses have had the biggest issues through the years containing Kelce, who has nine seasons of 80-plus catches. Even more impressive is Kelce's three seasons of 100-plus catches.
It's simple: Kelce has been incredible, and even this year, still leads Kansas City in catches with 50.
Warren has been similar, dominating defenses and befuddling opposing coordinators. Warren is second on Indy in catches (50) behind Michael Pittman Jr. (54) and leads the Colts in receiving yards with 617.
Warren is a nightmare, like Kelce, to defend in the short and intermediate range, and he's given Daniel Jones an elite-level target to find from the pocket.
It's too soon to say Warren is the next Kelce as a pass-catcher, but given that he's on a trajectory to have 85 catches and over 1,000 receiving yards, it's not out of the question to bring up the subject.
The Blocking
Colts tight end Tyler Warren (blue and white uniform) runs away from pursuing tacklers.
Sep 28, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (84) is chased down by Los Angeles Rams safety Kam Curl (3) in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Finding a solid blocking option at tight end who can also punish defenses as a weapon isn't easy, but Kelce has been just that for years.
This year, Kelce has posted a Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade of 62.6 on 135 run-blocking snaps. Given that Kelce is known as a pass-catcher over everything else, this is a solid metric.
As for Warren, he's near Kelce with a grade of 57.7 on 192 run-blocking snaps. While this grade isn't incredible, it's more than serviceable. Warren has also shown great skill as a lead-blocker from the fullback position, as well as in-line.
Look at fullback Tyler Warren lead blocking this Jonathan Taylor TD!
That’s a football player, man pic.twitter.com/kE5v3jfBrE
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) September 21, 2025
Warren is prominent for his skills as an offensive weapon in Shane Steichen's scheme. But make no mistake, Warren can throw blocks and do the dirty work to help a player like Jonathan Taylor tee off on a defense.
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The Clutch Factor
Colts tight end Tyler Warren (blue and white uniform) hauls in a big catch.
Oct 26, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (84) warms up before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Warren hasn't had a massive chance to show the NFL his clutch gene, but when examining the Colts' recent battle in Berlin with the Atlanta Falcons, the Penn State product essentially won Indy the game.
Starting with a ridiculous contested fourth-down catch that converted for kicker Michael Badgley to tie the game for Indy. In short, this catch was absurd, with Warren tearing the ball away from a defender who had every right to break up the pass.
Daniel Jones to Tyler Warren on fourth down!🔥
This pass had just a 21.6% completion probability according to @NextGenStats
ATLvsIND on @NFLNetwork
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/ZfX4PraiqZ
— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) November 9, 2025
Then again, in overtime, Warren secured a dart from Jones to put Indy in position to continue their offensive assault. Eventually, this led to the game-winning TD from Taylor.
Tyler Warren with the big catch in overtime pic.twitter.com/hm81XI16BU
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) November 9, 2025
It's just a few plays used as examples, but Warren appears to be a go-to option when the game is on the line, just like Kelce has been for the Chiefs for years.
When a play is needed, #87 is who Patrick Mahomes finds. As for Jones, #84 has been a name in the same regard as Kelce.
Don't be shocked if Warren continues to put up fantastic plays that give Indy the momentum right when they need it before the regular season ends.
The Bottom Line
Colts tight end Tyler Warren (blue and white uniform) celebrates as he scores a touchdown.
Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (84) scores a touchdown during a game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It's too early to say Warren will be the next Kelce, but he's shown an incredible ability as an all-around tight end in similar ways to the dominant Chiefs weapon.
If Warren can continue to play this way, he'll finish with an incredible rookie season, further building upon the case that he'll have an elite NFL career like Kelce has had.
We'll see which tight end gets the upper hand on Sunday in what will be a massive contest to help decide playoff positioning for both squads.
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