At the same time last year, Indianapolis Colts fans rejoiced when they watched the Chicago Bears take Colston Loveland with the No. 10 pick. While they were projected to take a tight end, Tyler Warren was the consensus TE1 in most big boards.
The Bears justified their pick by stating that Loveland was a better fit for the offense they wanted to run, a claim that drew skepticism and mixed reviews among those who thought Warren was the obvious selection.
Fast forward to today, and even after a slow start to his career, it seems that the Bears were onto something. The Athletic's (subscription required) Nick Baumgardner redrafted the class of 2025 and, while there were plenty of tweaks at the top, two picks remained intact: Loveland at No. 10 and Warren at No. 14.
Indianapolis Colts' Tyler Warren may have lost his edge over Colston Loveland
Warren hauled in seven of nine receptions for 76 yards in his season debut, all while Loveland totaled 12 yards on two targets.
Through six weeks, Waren had more targets (40 to 18), receptions (29 to 11), receiving yards (370 to 116), receiving touchdowns (2 to 0), rushing touchdowns (1 to 0), averaged more yards per catch (12,8 to 10.5), and had a higher catch percentage (72.5 percent to 61.1 percent). By all means, the Colts looked like the smarter team, having made the right choice.
Loveland, however, closed out the season on an absolute heater. Things leveled up in the end, with Warren finishing the season with 76 receptions on 112 targets for 817 yards and five total scores (4 receiving), and Loveland needing only 58 catches on 82 targets to get 713 yards and six receiving touchdowns.
He ultimately topped Warren in yards per catch (12.3 to 10.8), catch rate (70.7 percent to 67.9 percent), yards per target (8.7 to 7.3), and yards per touch (12.1 to 10.1). Maybe we all jumped to conclusions.
Of course, development is never linear, and this game is much more complex than just looking at box scores side by side. However, players are ultimately judged by their production, and while Warren was steady for most of the season, Loveland closed out the year looking like a legitimate No. 1 option and a superstar in the making.
At the end of the day, it's way too early to tell who made the right call. Both are different players: Warren is much more physical and versatile, and a bigger play on the open field, while Loveland is much more athletic and a better route-runner. Also, quarterback play, offensive schemes, and play-calling can play a big role in a player's success, or lack thereof.
That said, as the first two tight ends taken in a very strong class, and given the context of both selections, their careers will be intertwined forever, and you probably couldn't go wrong with either. For now, Colts fans should still absolutely feel they have the right guy, but it looks like the league-wide perception might be shifting against him.
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