No matter who you ask, the list of the Indianapolis Colts‘ most significant needs is almost always topped by the tight end position.
Statistically, the Colts’ tight end room was inarguably one of the least productive in the NFL in 2024. In fact, 25 individual tight ends across the NFL had more receiving yards by themselves than the 467 yards that the entirety of the Colts’ tight ends produced.
By a pretty wide margin, tight end is the position that people mock to the Colts in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft the most, usually either Penn State’s Tyler Warren or Michigan’s Colston Loveland.
Despite being a good tight end class, could the Colts elect not to address it first?
According to Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report, the Colts could wind up missing out on a tight end in the first round, partly due to general manager Chris Ballard’s desireto focus on elite athletes:
No one denies that the Indianapolis Colts desperately need a tight end, not even the team…
According to the NFL Mock Draft Database, Penn State’s Tyler Warren to the Colts is the second-most popular projected pick outside of this year’s top 10. The first? Tight end Colston Loveland to the Los Angeles Chargers, where he reunites with his college coach, Jim Harbaugh.
Both Warren and Loveland should be strong options for the Colts. But two things could get in the way.
First and foremost, Ballard is known for his love of elite athletes. Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell and South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori will be highly tempting options if they’re on the board…
Second, Warren may not be available when the Colts are on the board. He’s such a versatile weapon that he’s built some momentum as a possible top-10 pick. There’s a much better chance Loveland is still available, as he’s recovering from offseason shoulder surgery after an injury-plagued final season on campus.
To Sobleski’s credit, Ballard does preach to his staff about betting on special athletic traits. However, to throw Ballard a bone, we’ve seen him make concessions in recent years on players who have bonafide college production but lack elite athleticism, such as Laiatu Latu and Josh Downs.
By missing out on Warren and electing not to select Loveland, the Colts almost certainly go out of range for LSU’s Mason Taylor in the second round with the 45th pick. They’d likely need to either trade back in the first round or up in the second round to get Taylor. Personally, Warren, Loveland, and Taylor are comfortably the top three tight ends in this year’s draft.
Relying on Miami’s Elijah Arroyo to be your guy means taking a leap of faith that his knee issues are behind him. And with Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr., there’s a hope you can develop him into an NFL tight end who isn’t just a pass catcher. After that group, the ceilings on players begin to decrease.
It’s a possibility that the Colts could skip tight end in the first round, but certainly not the end of the world.
It would sting to miss out on your franchise tight end in consecutive years after Brock Bowers was sniped in front of the Colts last year. However, you could always swing a trade for a veteran such as Kyle Pitts or Michael Mayer while also attempting to grab a high-potential tight end in the mid rounds.
Whatever the Colts decide to do at the tight end position in 2025, if it’s not addressed with enough effort and the group falls flat during the regular season, Ballard will have a lot of explaining to do.