The Indianapolis Colts 2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Roundup

The Colts made one splash pick at a fantasy-relevant position in this draft, making Warren (not Loveland) their tight end of the future. Everything else was filling in around the edges, so don’t expect much outside of Tyler Warren! 

Round 1, Pick 14: Tyler Warren, Tight End, Penn State (6’5″, 256 lbs) 

The following is an excerpt from the Round One Fantasy Football Rookie Round Up 

TALENT: 

The test results are in, and Tyler Warren has #thatdog in him. He’s swinging it all over the field, as he is a massive and athletic tight end who dominates whatever assignment coaches give him on a football field. He has soft hands and good speed, blasting through would-be tacklers and pinballing his way all over the field to make sure that if his team loses, it’s not going to be through a lack of his effort. Warren redefines high motor as every play is him attempting to physically and mentally dominate the competition. 

Traffic doesn’t much concern Warren, as his good contact balance and hands make catching and running with the football a breeze. However, he is not without a knock in the receiving game. He doesn’t have a lot of speed, as his game is predicated chiefly on defenses being physically incapable of bringing him down. He also runs with intensely tight hips, giving him almost zero change of direction and exactly zero chance of juking anyone in the open field. 

Warren should have a chance to contribute his rookie year and is a candidate to be the next tight end to break the rookie tight end curse (which might officially end after 2025). 

NFL Comparison: Trey McBride
Pre-Draft Grade: 1st Round 

2025 OPPORTUNITY: 

Depth Chart:
TE1 Tyler Warren
TE2 Drew Ogletree
TE3 Mo Alie-Cox
TE4 Jelani Woods
TE5 Albert Okwuegbunam 

I’m sorry, I don’t like this for Tyler Warren. It was the predestined outcome, but this team needs to figure out its quarterback situation before I can care about the opportunity that Tyler Warren will get. The Colts threw the ball the fewest times in the league last year, and they already have a crowded offense, with Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, A.D. Mitchell, Alec Pierce, and Jonathan Taylor already garnering targets. He will likely be ahead of Mitchell and Pierce, but you’re still chopping up limited targets too many ways for Warren to have draftable fantasy football upside in his rookie season. 

2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK: 

I don’t like Warren’s setup for success in his rookie season. I wouldn’t draft him, but I would keep him on my Rolodex, in case something changes and the Colts start throwing the football. 

Round 5, Pick 151: DJ Giddens, Running Back, Kansas State (6’0″, 212 lbs) 

TALENT 

Giddens is difficult to bring down and a true north-south banger, but he has enough wiggle to get the space to run north-south. He struggles with getting tackled a bit too easily because of his height, but he can also bang with the best of them if he lowers his pads at the point of contact. He’s a long strider, which makes him more of a north-south runner, as this running style makes it difficult to change directions or absorb hits. But he excels in traffic. He has good vision and allows his blocks to develop. Giddens also runs better in traffic because his shorter strides allow for an easier change-of-direction. Unfortunately, he is just an average pass catcher, making him more of a two-down banger in the league that coaches should pair with a more dynamic pass catcher. He’s best suited in a one-cut and go system in the NFL, where decisive reads will let him maximize the holes.  

NFL Comparison: Tevin Coleman
Pre-Draft Grade: 5th Round 

2025 OPPORTUNITY 

Depth Chart:
RB1 Jonathan Taylor
RB2 Khalil Herbert
RB3 DJ Giddens
RB4 Tyler Goodson
RB5 Salvon Ahmed 

Giddens could be an interesting change-of-pace back behind Jonathan Taylor, though he has a zero percent chance of usurping Taylor. He is about as talented as Khalil Herbert, so his opportunity likely comes down to how the Colts want to use the RB2 role. I struggle to find massive upside, as the Colts have two rushing quarterbacks fighting for the QB1 role, meaning that a big bruiser like Giddens has limited upside due to a likely lack of touchdowns.  

Like many depth chart running backs, his opportunity comes down to a potential Jonathan Taylor injury. Should Jonathan Taylor miss time, then it’s likely that the Colts will use him as the first and second-down back, while keeping Khalil Herbert as the third-down and two-minute drill back. That, combined with the touchdown vulturing players under center (Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones), does not make me feel bullish about his upside. 

2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK 

Giddens is an alright handcuff, but I don’t see him having a stand-alone appeal without a Jonathan Taylor injury. While I believe he can handle 15 or so carries per game, his limited reception and touchdown upside make him a less-than-stellar fantasy prospect. 

Round 6, Pick 189: Riley Leonard, Quarterback, Notre Dame (6’4″, 216 lbs) 

TALENT 

I lamented on Bluesky that this draft class is chock-full of Jake Fromms and other various backup quarterbacks. It’s a series of moderate-floor, low-ceiling quarterbacks. It truly feels like this draft class is full of the Temu iterations of current quarterbacks. In this case, Riley Leonard is Temu Carson Wentz. He has good arm strength and is mobile enough to make it work. Leonard has good pocket mobility. He can be accurate sometimes, but Notre Dame rarely challenged him to spin the ball.  

I worry about Riley Leonard’s future because he has Jimmy Garoppolo Disease. He often eschews the easy throws for the “god, this would be so cool if it worked” plays, which leads to bad throws and turnovers. He also drops his eyes and runs far too often, which makes sense, as he struggles to throw on the run. 

NFL Comparison: Carson Wentz
Pre-Draft Grade: Late 4th Round/Early 5th Round 

2025 OPPORTUNITY 

Depth Chart:
QB1 Anthony Richardson
QB2 Daniel Jones
QB3 Riley Leonard
RB4 Jason Bean 

While the quarterback situation is a nightmare in Indianapolis, Richardson and Jones are leaps above Riley Leonard. Should injuries dictate a change in the depth chart, he might start a few games. He has some mobility and enough skill to take advantage of good matchups, giving him some upside. 

2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK 

If everything falls apart for the Colts and they turn to Riley Leonard, you can stream him in 2QB leagues and plus matchups.