Tyler Warren completed one of the most memorable campaigns in Penn State history this past season.
PSU’s 6-foot-5 tight end set single-season tight end program records for receptions (104), receiving yards (1,233), and also broke the school’s career tight end receiving touchdowns record with 19.
The 22-year-old from Mechanicsville, Virginia caught a pass in of his in his final 32 college games and caught 15 touchdowns over the past two years.
Penn State fans thoroughly enjoyed watching No. 44 rumble down the field and uncover defenders, but there’s more to the number… and it also has to do with running defenders over.
Warren revealed at the NFL Scouting Combine that he wears No. 44 for a D.C. legend and NFL Hall of Famer.
“I wear 44 because when I was younger, my dad put on John Riggins film and said, ‘this is how I want you to run the ball,”Warren told the media.
Penn State TE Tyler Warren “I wear 44 because when I was younger, my dad put on John Riggins film and said, ‘this is how I want you to run the ball” pic.twitter.com/vzuJyU26tP
— Madelyn Burke (@MadelynBurke) February 27, 2025
MVP of Super Bowl XVII with the then-Washington Redskins, Riggins played nine seasons in Washington following five years for the New York Jets.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Riggins ran for 11,352 yards and 104 touchdowns in 175 games, averaging more than 1,100 yards per season, and is a member of the 1980s All-Decade Team. He ran the ball 38 times for 166 yards and a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins en route to winning Super Bowl MVP.
Riggins led the NFL in rushing touchdowns twice and earned 1,000-yard seasons five times in 14 years.
Warren finished his Penn State career with 153 catches for 1,839 yards, 224 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, and a passing touchdown in 56 games. He missed out on a trip to New York as a top four Heisman Trophy finalist but finished seventh in the overall voting.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper projects Warren to be drafted in the top 10, selected ninth by the New Orleans Saints and new head coach Kellen Moore. Moore coached the Eagles offense to a Super Bowl win in his first season as coordinator.
“Warren is really fun to watch, and he could do a bit of everything in the New Orleans offense. At Penn State, he was lined up in-line, out wide, in the slot, and in the backfield. And no matter where he was, he made plays, racking up 1,233 receiving yards on 104 catches,” Kiper wrote on ESPN.com. “Warren has sure hands and the ability to pile up yards after the catch.”
Warren met with the Pittsburgh Steelers during the combine. Former PSU tight end Pat Freiermuth played with Warren during the 2020 season and now is one of Pittsburgh’s most important players.
The 2025 NFL Draft from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin will take place from Thursday, April 24, to Saturday, April 26 on ESPN and the NFL Network.
