Will Chiefs Trade Into Top 10 to Draft Kelce’s Replacement?

Travis Kelce isn’t going anywhere in 2025. But if the Chiefs want another generational player to eventually replace him at tight end, they should consider trading up in the first round just like they did to get Patrick Mahomes 10th overall in 2017. That player is Penn State’s Tyler Warren, and few see him getting past Chicago at No. 10, including Mel Kiper.

Dan Orlovsky said this week that the 6-5, 256-pound Warren is No. 2 on his list of favorite players across all positions, behind Travis Hunter. Similar to Trey McBride, who just became the highest-paid tight end in NFL history, Warren has elite traits. But one especially stands out to Orlovsky.

“I think his yards after the catch are so important,” the former quarterback said Tuesday on NFL Live, noting Warren topped 700 yards in that category last year. “I think he owns the middle of the field.

“He makes some ridiculous, jaw-dropping catches. … We've seen a lot of those from Travis Hunter but this guy has a handful of them, if not more, from this past season, and the way that he can handle so much in between the hashes.”

To say he handled so much in between or even outside the hashes is an understatement. That’s because the Nittany Lions routinely moved him all over the formation, motioning him into the slot, splitting him out wide and even giving him snaps at quarterback. And when he made those jaw-dropping receptions, Penn State had receivers down field blocking for their tight end. Usually, it’s the other way around.

Warren welcomes that versatility. The starting quarterback at Atlee High School in Mechanicsville, Va., he also starred in basketball and baseball. He credits those other sports with making him a much better tight end.

“That definitely helped me out this year when I was moving around and lining up in a lot of different spots,” Warren said at the scouting combine. “In baseball with the bat, it looks easy when the pros do it, but it's pretty hard to do with how small both of those things are, and just the hand-eye coordination it takes.

“Basketball really helps out, especially with tight end, just knowing how to use your body to get open and going up for those high-pointed balls. It's just like going up and getting a rebound or catching a high-lofted pass. I think that's been a big help for me in my progression as a tight end.”

Kelce’s progression as a tight end also started from a remarkably similar point. A starting quarterback at Cleveland Heights (Ohio) High School, Kelce lettered in basketball and baseball, just like Warren. Both Kelce and Warren had similar dual-threat numbers as prep quarterbacks. Plus, at 6-5, and 250 lbs,. Kelce is virtually the same size.

Whether Warren can produce a similar NFL career is too early to tell. But count ESPN’s Field Yates among Warren’s believers. Yates said teams like the Bears and Chiefs that already have legitimate tight ends could and should pivot to offenses with multiple stars at that position. It’s a simple decision.

“Every year during this process as we get closer and closer to the NFL Draft, we start to agonize over prospects,” said Yates, who hosts the First Draft podcast with Mel Kiper. “We start to nitpick them.
We start to look for the tiniest of blemishes on these players.

“Have fun with Tyler Warren. Because when the fall rolls around, he's going to have eight catches for 75 yards and a touchdown, and you're going to say, ‘Why did we overthink it with this guy?’”