MECHANICSVILLE, Va. — Tyler Warren made the Atlee community proud Thursday night when he was selected 14th overall in the NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
CBS 6’s Lane Casadonte took a look at the journey that led to hearing his name called on draft night.
When he played for head coach Matt Gray at Atlee, Warren was asked to do a lot. He played multiple positions and contributed at each of them. Gray wasn't sure how to classify him into a single position, and Warren didn't know what to expect either.
Warren signed to play at Penn State with no idea what his next five years would look like.
"I wasn't sure. I guess, honestly, it was exciting to play college football and have that opportunity, but I wasn't sure what I really wanted my career to look like. I was just kind of excited to have that opportunity. I was going to make the most of it," Warren said.
That he did. Warren won the John Mackey Award as the nation's best tight end after his 2024-25 performance. He also owns nearly every Penn State record for that position.
In an era where college athletes transfer regularly, Warren never thought about leaving State College, even though the competition at his position alone would have run others off.
"So there were five NFL tight ends in that room when I got there. It was a grind to kind of get in the rotation, and I slowly worked my way up through the years until I was a starter," he said. "I think that's just kind of how I was raised, and you know, what my parents expected me to do is kind of stick it out and earn my way and trust the process."
The process transformed Warren into a first-round draft pick. It's something the Richmond area has not seen in five years and something the Atlee community has never experienced.
"You have parents, teachers, and people you haven't seen for five or six years come back and start talking about Tyler. He came back to a basketball game and was an absolute professional about how he handled himself," Gray said.
"A lot of the stories, you know, come from my parents, and they tell me people seeing them on the street or in the store, wishing our family and me luck. So it means a lot to kind of have that local support," Warren said. "Doing what you love is really cool to be able to do this and continue my career. Not a lot of people are lucky enough to keep playing football. So I just remember to enjoy it because, like I said, it's rare that people get to continue their careers at this point."
In an age where some of his contemporaries are already making demands of their prospective new bosses, Warren is grateful for everything he's received and may possibly encounter. It might be refreshing to the pro community where he lands, but those who have known him in Mechanicsville are not surprised.
"A fine human being. A fierce competitor. Extremely talented and a guy that's going to be 100% team first," Gray said.
"I always try to be the same person," Warren said. "I feel like I'm pretty much the same person I was when I stepped on campus as a freshman, but kind of just, when it does, you might have a little more notoriety at this point, you know. My career is just about trying to treat people the way I'd like to be treated and treat everybody with respect, and not letting it change who you are and what got you to this point."
CBS 6 provides Central Virginia with the most experienced local TV sports coverage in town. Count on Lane Casadonte and Sean Robertson for the most in-depth local sports coverage.
