Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Got INSTANT IMPACT Players in Tyler Warren, JT Tuimoloau

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Indianapolis Colts made their first two picks in the draft count in Tyler Warren and JT Tua Malauau. And we're going to hear today from a couple of guys who spent years watching these two new Colts players. Let's get to it. You are locked on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast, Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. All right, thanks for tuning in

Starting point is 00:00:30 and making us your first listen of the day. This is your daily podcast covering your Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. I am Jake Arthur of HorseshoeHuddle.com. And today we are talking about the Colts' first two picks in the draft, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren and Ohio State defensive end JT Tuoma Loa.

Starting point is 00:00:52 Now when it comes to Warren, this is a move that people have been anticipating for months. The tight end position was the spot where the cupboard was most bare for the Colts. And it's really been that way for quite some time. You look back to really Dallas Clark is the last time that the Colts had. A tight end who could block and catch and was explosive and really cause defensive coordinators to kind of stay at game planning for them. You know, yet you had Jack Doyle who made a couple of Pro Bowls, really good blocker on the move,

Starting point is 00:01:26 was really good at catching everything and moving the chains, but not really explosive. Eric Ebron, he was explosive, big time playmaker in the passing game, but not a guy you're going to trust the block. Tyler Warren does it all. He never has to leave the field. He could do pretty much anything that Shane Steichen is going to cook up for him to do. But it almost didn't happen. It was maybe a little worrisome there at the beginning. So you look at pick 10 and Colston Loveland goes off the board to the Bears, which means they were looking at a tight end. So Loveland probably fits with the Bears a little bit more considering they already have Colt Comet. But then, you know, Loveland goes off the board and you immediately start thinking,

Starting point is 00:02:06 is the team gonna jump ahead of the Colts to get Tyler Warren? So they stood firm, he was able to get there to them at pick 14, and the rest is history now. So this is a rare opportunity for the Colts to get a player. We've seen some elite offensive playmakers from them before. But again, it's been quite some time since it's been at the tight end position. You look at what he did in college, 104 catches for 1200 yards and eight touchdowns.

Starting point is 00:02:33 As a receiver, that's great. You say, I'll take that all day. But then you dig further, 26 carries for 218 yards and four touchdowns. And yeah, he threw the ball six times as well for 35 yards and another touchdown. So Penn State trusted this guy to do everything. Things you don't see tight ends do ever. I can't really think of a time that tight, a tight end in the NFL did that much for a team.

Starting point is 00:02:58 I don't think he's going to be doing things to that degree for the Colts, but I definitely think Shane Stiken is going to think of a thing or two for him to do for sure. So we're going to go ahead here in a moment and talk to Zach Saco of the Locked on Nittany Lions podcast, who put together a little overview of Warren as a player and what a team might be getting him coming into the draft. If you want that elite, all pro caliber, tight end in your offense, you take Penn State's Tyler Warren. My name is Zach Seiko, and I'm the host of Locked On at Nittany Lions. Tyler Warren is the complete player.

Starting point is 00:03:35 He literally can do it all. In Penn State's offense, he was catching passes. He was running the football. He was taking snaps at quarterback. He was making the snaps. He would snap snaps at quarterback. He was making the snaps He would snap the football at center and go run around after that and even scored a touchdown on that play You can line up Tyler Warren anywhere on the football field and he will be productive. He can take over games That is what you are getting in Tyler Warren

Starting point is 00:03:59 If you are an NFL franchise this guy can be the focal point if you're in your offense He can complement what your system does well. Either way, you are going to get somebody that puts the team first, checks off every single box, and can do it all as a complete tight end. Blocking, catching, anything that you ask him to, Tyler Warren will do it, and he is worth a top 10 pick in this year's NFL draft. For more coverage around Penn State football and other Penn State sports, subscribe to Lockdown Nittany Lions on YouTube

Starting point is 00:04:28 and wherever you get your podcasts. All right, so when it comes to Warren on the Colts, again, it's hard to project a rookie to have that sort of volume of involvement, but at the same time, you're gonna add a guy who I think is gonna be an immediate starter for them. The Colts love to use two tight ends. It's been very role-based for them because they haven't had that guy that can handle everything. But I think Tyler Warren is going to be the first option, obviously, tight end. I do think you're

Starting point is 00:04:58 going to see plenty of Mo Ali Cox still and to some degree Drew Ogletree. I think that's probably the only three you're really ever gonna see. Will Mallory, if he makes the roster, might only scratch the field if there's an injury ahead of him. I just don't really see much involvement in a guy that's only a pass catcher.

Starting point is 00:05:18 But with Warren, I think the Colts are gonna obviously look for him to be a security blanket for whatever quarterback it is, whether it's Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones, which is going to give the quarterback a couple quick passing options with Warren, with Josh Jones. You could probably lump Michael Pittman in there together as well to some degree. And you know, they've got a couple guys that can catch the ball the backfield now as well. DJ Giddens, Kahlil Herbert, you could, you know, Jonathan Taylor to some extent as well. So adding Warren into this, especially a guy that can make things happen after the catch,

Starting point is 00:05:53 it's going to turn two, three yard plays into seven, eight, nine yard plays, you know. So this is incredibly valuable, I think, in establishing some rhythm in the passing game and just getting the offense to move consistently in some manner. incredibly valuable, I think, in establishing some rhythm in the passing game. And just getting the offense to move consistently in some manner. Because the running game, I think we were all pretty confident in that last year, but the passing game, you never knew how it was gonna look. Whether it was Flacco or Richardson, it was very boom or bust. It was either gonna be explosive plays or probably nothing.

Starting point is 00:06:24 And while I still think there's going to be perhaps some issues at the quarterback position, I think having a guy like Warren out there, again, to blend in with downs and Pittman is definitely going to help smooth out some of those edges. So maybe the lows won't be quite as severe. So yeah, great, great move by the Colts. Obviously the one we had all been kind of seeing coming all along. But yeah, we've got a whole off season to talk about that. And who knows, maybe they make another move or two at the tight end position before the off season is up. So coming up guys here in a moment, we're going to talk about the Colts second round pick defensive in JT to a Malo out of Ohio State. The NBA playoffs are here. The Pacers have taken care of the Bucks and Fandl is giving new customers an incredible way to get in on all of the action. Right now, when you join Fandl and place your first $5 bet, you're going to get 250 back and bonus bets

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Starting point is 00:07:44 you can even combine all of those live prop bets into a same game parlay for a chance to win big. So don't miss out, head to fanbill.com and claim your $250 in bonus bets today. All right, so the Colts used their second round pick on a defensive lineman, which that was no surprise at all. We kind of figured it would be a trench heavy draft for them. So they go defensive end and there have been a couple guys picked

Starting point is 00:08:13 out of them that maybe they missed out on, you know, Donovan Ezraku made a ton of sense for them, but he got picked right ahead of them. So JT Tuamoloa, not a bad consolation prize, But he got picked right ahead of them. So JT to him a low, not a bad consolation prize. Not the same style of defensive end as Donovan as a rock who, but a guy that they can use for sure, nonetheless. So you look at him, this is guy completely, totally productive in college, which I think when you're getting a defensive end, they have to have production. In the past, we've seen the Colts get so many traitsy guys who don't have the production, they have to have production. In the past, we've seen the Colts get so many traitsy guys who don't have the production, they don't finish this or that. And I think to a Maloao from a fan perspective, from some of what I've seen is a victim of past drafts by Ballard,

Starting point is 00:09:00 because Ballard has widely struck out on defensive ends. He's drafted several guys that just have not become stars. They've just been fine. And you look at guys with college production and they tend to work out better than the ones before. It's it's way too early to judge Laiatu Laatu, the first run pick from last year. I think he had a better first year than we've seen a lot of Colts rookie defensive ends have.

Starting point is 00:09:26 So I'm gonna project him to make a jump and then to a Malo out. This is a guy with a pretty high floor, pretty safe pick. He's strong and stout, very good run defender already. And he's coming along as a pass rusher as well. Last year he had 61 tackles including 22 for loss, which is huge. I can't really stress how big of a number that is, along with 12 and a half sacks, two forced fumbles and three pass breakups over a four year span, 45 tackles for loss, 23 and a half sacks.

Starting point is 00:10:00 This guy three years running has been named first team all big 10. So again, very productive. The accolades are there. He was a high recruit for Ohio State, one of their biggest defensive lineman recruits in quite some time and he lived up to the hype. So we're gonna go here for a moment to a guy who has been watching him for a long time.

Starting point is 00:10:20 That's Jay Stevens of Locked On Buckeyes. long time that's J Stevens of locked on Buckeyes. JT to a low wall has a size, the length and the toughness to play up or down in a hybrid system in the NFL. What is up guys, my name is Jay Stevens, a host of lots on Buckeyes standing at six foot four, 265 pounds to below all stuff that shows up on the field and power and force it is definitely a force in defending the run, all is tough. This shows up on the field in power and force. It is definitely a force in defending the run, which is where he's primarily going to excel

Starting point is 00:10:48 at the next level. He is a pass rusher that can make some noise in the Buckeyes playoff push where they won the national championship. He has six and a half sacks in those four games where he's primarily a power rusher. He does have a spin move and some other tricks in his bag, but his power rush moves, that works very well for him

Starting point is 00:11:06 But also translation helps him in stuffing the run as well JG to him a little while was a phenomenal buck guy and I have no doubt He'll be a great day one impact player in the NFL That's when we look at to him a little out with the Colts Obviously, it's a little bit of a crowded defensive end room. You know, Quidipay is going to be a starter. You think Laiatuatu is probably going to be one as well. They have Samson Evikam coming back from an Achilles injury last year.

Starting point is 00:11:36 They really like him. Taekwondo Lewis is there as well. Isaiah Land is there, but I think now he's not got enough equity with the team to where he's going to really chip in to the snaps of, you know, Lahtu and Tuamilolau necessarily. But I think it would be short-sighted for the Colts to really throw a ton of snaps at the direction of like Lewis and Abukam at the expense of guys like Latou and Tuamoloao. Now they are gonna probably be different positions.

Starting point is 00:12:11 We'll have to see what it looks like under Louie and Arumo, but Latou much more of the pass rushing type where Tuamoloao is gonna be like your strong side end, more of a competitor with like Quidipay and Taekwond Lewis. So I just think those older guys who are entering their final years of their contracts, especially guys who've been banged up like Lewis and Ebycom, you don't want to feed them too many snaps again and keep Tuamalauao off the field. Same can be said with Lato.

Starting point is 00:12:40 When I look at Tuamalauao, I see a bigger, longer, probably stronger Quidipay. Now Pay is probably a bit more bendy, a little more athletic of a player, but Tua Malau is, I think his floor gives you what you've been given by Quidipay the last few years. You're going to get a solid number of tackles and run stuffs and about seven or eight sacks or so, that's about what Quidipay has given you. I think that is a safe projection for Tumulau within the first couple years, but I do think he's capable of more. One of those guys that can convert speed to power and is still ascending as a pass rusher. Uh, again, he has some pass rush moves, but he's not super bendy. He's not that guy that's necessarily going to run the arc. But, you know, I learned my lesson last year with the guy like Jared verse,

Starting point is 00:13:35 where you kind of count on those guys. And we saw in the college football playoff last year where he is hitting a second year and kind of figuring things out. So I definitely love the projection for to him a little moving forward. Year one. I mean, there's a lot of snaps to fill because Diogo Dangbo led the team in snaps among the defensive linemen. Gosh, I do think he's probably should see at least like

Starting point is 00:14:04 25 snaps a game, I would imagine. I don't think he's going to be a starter because I do think he's probably should see at least like 25 snaps a game, I would imagine. I don't think he's going to be a starter because I do. Quidipe is obviously going to be one. I don't think the Colts want to mess with that. Hopefully you see why I'll tell you what to as another. I just don't think the Colts are going to shoo away. Taekwondo Lewis and Samson Abicom so quickly. With that said, I do hope they give him plenty of work.

Starting point is 00:14:24 I would love to see at least 20, 25 snaps for Tuamolau at minimum to see what he could do and to keep developing, getting him those NFL game reps to kind of take him to the next level. So that is what we've got for you today, guys. Here in a moment, we'll close you out. But first, let's hear from one of our sponsors. Do you ever check your bank account and wonder where did all of my money go?

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Starting point is 00:15:57 All right, guys, if you wanna become a Lockdown Cults insider and chat with us directly and get the inside scoop, then follow the link in our show notes. And if you don't already, please follow at locked on Colts at Jake Arthur NFL and at Zach Hicks to on Twitter. We're also on Tik Tok and Instagram as well. Also, please be sure to subscribe on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, we would love those ratings and reviews as well. And with that, you guys have a great next few hours because we are going to be back with you just in a little bit.

Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Got INSTANT IMPACT Players in Tyler Warren, JT Tuimoloau

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