The Indianapolis Colts landed the perfect first-round pick in this year's draft after they were miraculously able to nab Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, arguably the most in-demand player at his position in this year's draft class.
The Colts desperately needed a good tight end, considering their tight end unit has been laughably bad, and Warren has been exactly what Indianapolis needed to revitalize the room.
From the beginning, there were high expectations for Warren, which could easily cause some rookies to flame out. The season hasn't started yet, of course, but all signs indicate that he is poised to be the superstar everyone expects him to be. Jack Doyle, for instance, the Colts' last great tight end, had heaps of praise for Warren, predicting that he will be a major playmaker right away.
Legendary Rob Gronkowski has huge praise for Indianapolis Colts rookie Tyler Warren
But now another legendary tight end has given his take on Warren - and he held nothing back.
Rob Gronkowski is considered one of the best tight ends of all time. He played most of his career alongside Tom Brady for the New England Patriots, and is a four-time Super Bowl champion, a five-time Pro Bowler, and a four-time first-team All-Pro selection.
He was the complete package for a tight end, seen as elite as both a blocker and a receiver. He was also well known for his athleticism, despite his size (6'6" and 265 pounds), and his high football IQ.
Whether or not he's the best tight end to ever play the game is up for debate - he has some competition there, among other players like Travis Kelce and Antonio Gates - but he's certainly among the best of the best. So it's easy to say that his opinion on how good a tight end is (or isn't) carries some weight.
And he recently gave his thoughts on none other than Tyler Warren, saying:
"There's a player I really like, and it's Tyler Warren. I watched him in the first preseason game, and he's so good at all levels of the field. He kind of reminds me of myself. He ran my play action over route. He knew how to get open and away from the linebackers. He knows where to go because it's a feel route. He ran a Julian Edelman route, going out five yards and coming back. I never ran that because I'm too big, too slow. He ran it to perfection. 'Damn, he's doing that at that size?'"
Warren has already been compared to other legendary tight ends, like Mike Ditka, who arguably revolutionized the position. Warren is a good receiver, akin to tight ends like Kelce, but his violent, angry, rampaging style of play is much more in the vein of Ditka.
Regardless of who you compare Warren to, though, the reality is that he already has tons of buzz around him and his future.