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10 Colts Things: Chris Ballard’s process in first 3 rounds, Tyler Warren’s 17-catch game, J.T. Tuimoloau’s College Football Playoff production, Justin Walley’s fit in Lou Anarumo’s defense, what Riley Leonard learned from Philip Rivers and more from 2025 NFL Draft
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The Colts finished the 2025 NFL Draft with eight new players: Tight end Tyler Warren (first round), defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau (second round), cornerback Justin Walley (third round), tackle Jalen Travis (fourth round), running back D.J. Giddens (fifth round), quarterback Riley Leonard (sixth round), defensive tackle Tim Smith (sixth round) and linebacker Hunter Wohler (seventh round). Here are 10 big things you need to know about the Colts’ 2025 draft class.
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10 Colts Things: Chris Ballard’s process in first 3 rounds, Tyler Warren’s 17-catch game, J.T. Tuimoloau’s College Football Playoff production, Justin Walley’s fit in Lou Anarumo’s defense, what Riley Leonard learned from Philip Rivers and more from 2025 NFL Draft
The Colts finished the 2025 NFL Draft with eight new players: Tight end Tyler Warren (first round), defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau (second round), cornerback Justin Walley (third round), tackle Jalen Travis (fourth round), running back D.J. Giddens (fifth round), quarterback Riley Leonard (sixth round), defensive tackle Tim Smith (sixth round) and linebacker Hunter Wohler (seventh round). Here are 10 big things you need to know about the Colts’ 2025 draft class.
1. The Colts stuck to their process early in the NFL Draft, and broke a trend by the end of Day 2.
Two tight ends hadn’t been selected in the first 14 picks of an NFL Draft since at least 1980, and it might’ve even been longer if you want to argue about the semantics of pre-internet position designations. Anyways, the point is: Even with two highly regarded tight ends in this year’s draft, the Colts always felt like they’d have a chance to draft a difference-maker at that position with the 14th overall pick.
So when the Chicago Bears selected Michigan’s Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick on Thursday night, there was no panic in the Colts’ draft room. General manager Chris Ballard didn’t furiously start calling the San Francisco 49ers (pick No. 11), Dallas Cowboys (No. 12) or Miami Dolphins (No. 13) in an attempt to trade up and secure Penn State’s Tyler Warren.
Ballard believed – correctly – that none of those three teams would take a tight end, and that none of them would trade down to a team looking to move up for Warren. The Colts were patient, not panicked, and it paid off when the 49ers took Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams, the Cowboys took Alabama guard Tyler Booker and the Dolphins took Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant.
“Had a good feeling,” Ballard said. “We work really hard at this to kind of figure – team needs, our pro scouts do an unbelievable job of, ‘Alright, here’s what they need.’ No, felt good about it.
“I’ll tell you this, the last time I felt that good about pulling a pick, and I felt good about all of them, but was Quenton (Nelson). Like, it was easy. It was easy. There wasn’t a lot of discussion.”
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10 Colts Things: Chris Ballard’s process in first 3 rounds, Tyler Warren’s 17-catch game, J.T. Tuimoloau’s College Football Playoff production, Justin Walley’s fit in Lou Anarumo’s defense, what Riley Leonard learned from Philip Rivers and more from 2025 NFL Draft
The Colts finished the 2025 NFL Draft with eight new players: Tight end Tyler Warren (first round), defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau (second round), cornerback Justin Walley (third round), tackle Jalen Travis (fourth round), running back D.J. Giddens (fifth round), quarterback Riley Leonard (sixth round), defensive tackle Tim Smith (sixth round) and linebacker Hunter Wohler (seventh round). Here are 10 big things you need to know about the Colts’ 2025 draft class.
Apr 28, 2025 at 06:00 AM
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JJ Stankevitz
Colts.com Writer
1. The Colts stuck to their process early in the NFL Draft, and broke a trend by the end of Day 2.
Two tight ends hadn’t been selected in the first 14 picks of an NFL Draft since at least 1980, and it might’ve even been longer if you want to argue about the semantics of pre-internet position designations. Anyways, the point is: Even with two highly regarded tight ends in this year’s draft, the Colts always felt like they’d have a chance to draft a difference-maker at that position with the 14th overall pick.
So when the Chicago Bears selected Michigan’s Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick on Thursday night, there was no panic in the Colts’ draft room. General manager Chris Ballard didn’t furiously start calling the San Francisco 49ers (pick No. 11), Dallas Cowboys (No. 12) or Miami Dolphins (No. 13) in an attempt to trade up and secure Penn State’s Tyler Warren.
Ballard believed – correctly – that none of those three teams would take a tight end, and that none of them would trade down to a team looking to move up for Warren. The Colts were patient, not panicked, and it paid off when the 49ers took Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams, the Cowboys took Alabama guard Tyler Booker and the Dolphins took Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant.
“Had a good feeling,” Ballard said. “We work really hard at this to kind of figure – team needs, our pro scouts do an unbelievable job of, ‘Alright, here’s what they need.’ No, felt good about it.
“I’ll tell you this, the last time I felt that good about pulling a pick, and I felt good about all of them, but was Quenton (Nelson). Like, it was easy. It was easy. There wasn’t a lot of discussion.”
First Look: 2025 NFL Draft Class
2025 Colts Draft Class: TE Tyler Warren (Penn State), DE JT Tuimoloau (Ohio State), CB Justin Walley (Minnesota), OT Jalen Travis (Iowa State), RB DJ Giddens (Kansas State), QB Riley Leonard (Notre Dame), DT Tim Smith (Alabama), LB Hunter Wohler (Wisconsin)
It might’ve been a touch surprising for some draft watchers when Loveland, not Warren, was the first tight end selected on Thursday. But Ballard said the Colts liked both tight ends, and in the case of the Bears, Loveland – who played nearly 50 percent of his snaps in 2024 in the slot – was a better fit for a team with an entrenched veteran “Y” (in-line) tight end in Cole Kmet.
The Colts, on the other hand, needed a Y tight end – someone who can line up with his hand in the dirt and be physical as a run blocker while also controlling the middle of the field as a pass catcher (more on that in Thing 2). Both teams, in using high picks on tight ends, got the flavor of player they needed.
So that was the first round. On Day 2, though, Ballard broke with a recent trend – he didn’t trade down.
The last time the Colts didn’t trade down on Day 2 of an NFL Draft was 2021 – when they didn’t even have a third round pick. In 2020, Ballard traded up in the second round and then back in the third round; In 2022, Ballard traded back in the second round; in 2023, he traded back twice in the second round; in 2024, he traded back in the second round.
This year, the Colts stayed at pick No. 45 and drafted Ohio State defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau; at pick No. 80, the Colts grabbed Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley. They felt more than good enough about both players to stick and pick twice.
“Stayed put – (we) had some chances to move back, but just kind of looking at the board who was on it, and guys that were in that spot, we decided just go ahead and stick and take them,” Ballard said. “They fit everything we wanted in terms of character and history of play time and talent.”
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2. Tyler Warren takes his spot in-line.
When Colts head coach Shane Steichen was the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator and playcaller in 2022, his team’s overall run-pass ratio was 45 percent to 55 percent. With tight end Dallas Goedert on the field, it was a few tenths of a percentage different – but when rounding up, it was still 45/55.
So when Goedert was on the field, his presence was not an indication if the Eagles would be more likely to run or pass. That’s the kind of tight end – one who’s adept as a run blocker and skilled as a pass catcher – every team would like to have.
“And they’re hard to find,” Ballard said.
Warren profiles as the kind of tight end who can do both. For a Colts offense that primarily operates out of 11 personnel (three wide receivers, one running back, one tight end), that do-it-all skillset is awfully important.
not have to sub certain guys out, that definitely helps.”
The Colts major in 11 personnel in part because of their wide receiver depth. On the outside, Michael Pittman Jr. is a physical slasher and Alec Pierce is an accomplished deep ball threat, with the Colts still having plenty of belief in 2024 second-round pick Adonai Mitchell. And Josh Downs is one of the NFL’s more accomplished receivers when lined up in the slot: His 54 receptions from the slot were third-most in the NFL in 2024; his 634 yards were fourth, per Pro Football Focus.
While those receivers have inside-outside versatility, it’s easy to see why the Colts’ offense is well-suited to have success in 11 personnel. And it’s easy to see why the Colts were drawn to Warren’s receiving production and rugged physicality. Area scout Chad Henry described Warren as a “unicorn Y,” the exact type of player who can unlock an offense.
“This is a big man, now,” Henry said of the 6-foot-5, 256 pound Warren. “That’s one thing — we have a hard time finding guys that size because it’s 230 pound guys, they’re basically extra receivers.
“This guy happens to be an extra receiver who can also knock the crap out of people on the line of scrimmage and in space.”
3. What Warren’s 17-catch game against USC meant for the Colts’ evaluation of him.
The Colts made what looked like a bold selection in the 1999 NFL Draft – they took Miami’s Edgerrin James, not Texas’ Ricky Williams, as the first running back off the board with the fourth overall pick. Williams was the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. But James did something exceptional in 1998: He rushed for 299 yards and three touchdowns against a previously-undefeated UCLA team to close out Miami’s regular season.
That game was a big reason why Todd Vasvari – a longtime Colts scout – pushed for James, not Williams, to be the Colts’ first-round pick in 1999.
Twenty-six years later, the Colts scouted another player who had an exceptional game against a Los Angeles-based college. Warren set a Penn State record with 17 receptions against USC in October, and his 224 receiving yards were second-most in program history.
And Henry, whose area scouting responsibilities include Penn State, referenced Vasvari’s evaluation of James when discussing Warren’s 17-catch game.
“When guys make exceptional performances like Tyler did against USC,” Henry said, “they’re showing you what they are.”
“That was as dominant a game that you saw from any offensive player in college football this year,” Ballard said. “To catch 17 balls on the road at USC – they know he’s getting the ball, and they just kept feeding it to him. He’s unique. I mean, he’s a unique player. We ‘re really excited to get him.”
Warren went on to catch 104 passes for 1,233 yards with 13 total touchdowns (eight receiving, four rushing, one passing) in 2024. He did some damage in the College Football Playoffs, like his two-touchdown game against Boise State. And while Warren performing well on college football’s biggest stages mattered, the Colts had seen enough long before December rolled around.
“Look, all you’ve got to do is put the USC game on. I didn’t need the playoffs,” Ballard said. “I mean, he had done enough one game to go like, ‘Holy cow, man. This guy’s got some unique stuff in him.’”
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4. The Colts’ Day 2 picks both were impressed by Warren in college.
Both of the Colts’ picks on Friday – Ohio State defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau and Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley – faced Penn State and Warren during their college careers: Tuimoloau played against Warren four times, while Walley faced him twice.
And Warren left quite an impression on both of his new teammates, as both highlighted Warren’s athleticism, physicality and versatility.
“He’s a rugged athlete,” Tuimoloau said. “He doesn’t do too much talking, but he talks with his pads and with his pads and with his athletic ability. With him, you’re getting a silent assassin. That’s a Swiss army knife. That just shows you how many tools he has in the bag. You’re not just getting a tight end, you’re getting a lot of other weapons within one person.”
“Pretty much everything he did came off as impressive,” Walley said. “You look at him, he’s a very impressive looking guy. He can play quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end, he can pretty much play everything. So that itself is very impressive. And then to go out there and perform the way he does at all those positions is even more impressive, so hats off to him.”
5. What the Colts are getting from J.T. Tuimoloau on and off the field.
As a 16-year-old, defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau was starting to generate buzz as one of the nation’s top recruits. He wound up being rated by 247 Sports as the No. 2 recruit – behind only quarterback Quinn Ewers – but the Seattle-area native didn’t rest on his tape or performances at recruiting showcases.
Tuimoloau was one a handful of high school players who were invited to train under the watch of Tracy Ford, who runs Ford Sports Performance in Bellevue, Wa. Among the pro players who trained with Ford were Seattle Seahawks stars Bobby Wagner and Cliff Avril – as well as Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin, who had no connection to the Seattle area other than he wanted to train with Wagner, the best linebacker in the NFL. This was before Franklin ascended to set franchise records and earn a Pro Bowl nod as the Colts’ starting Mike linebacker.
Like Franklin, Tuimoloau sought out the best players and went to go train with them. Wagner, by the way, didn’t believe Tuimoloau was a high school player when the two started training together.
“Guys that want to be great do it,” Colts area scout Mike Lacy said. “They find the guys in their network that they know, guys they have access to or maybe mutual contacts they can reach out to and pick their brain. It’s obviously very encouraging on his part that he did that and had enough awareness to do that.”
The lessons Tuimoloau took away from training with those top-level NFL players in high school stuck with him as he developed into one of college football’s most productive and disruptive defensive ends while at Ohio State.
“They made it a point to get your work in and not waste time,” Tuimoloau said. “That’s what I saw — I was like man, they sacrifice all this time and they don’t let no time go to waste. For me, it was never let time pass by and always find areas to grow.”
On the field, Tuiomolau had 12.5 sacks as a senior at Ohio State. Notably, 6.5 of those sacks – two more than any other player had in the expanded College Football Playoff – came during Ohio State’s championship run to end the 2024 season.
“The thing about him that stands out to me,” Lacy said, “is he played his best ball down the stretch when they needed him the most in their biggest games.”
Tuimoloau had that production – he had 19 total pressures in those four games, too – while consistently drawing double teams and chip help from opposing offenses. Yet he managed to find a way to fight through however many blockers were trying to keep him out of the pocket to be a key reason why the Buckeyes won a national title.
“What you see from J.T,, he knows he’s getting extra attention — he’s used to it,” Lacy said. “You see a guy strain a little bit harder, fight a little bit harder. You have to get a little bit more creative, be a little bit more savvy to beat that extra attention that you’re getting.”
6. The Tuimoloau pick is a good reminder a team’s needs today are not their needs tomorrow.
The Colts’ defensive end depth chart in 2025 looks loaded after drafting Tuimoloau in the second round: There’s him, 2024 first-round pick Laiatu Latu, 2021 first-round pick Kwity Paye and veterans Samson Ebukam and Tyquan Lewis.
That’s a five-deep rotation of players with pedigree and/or production. The Colts envisioned a similar rotation a year ago when they drafted Latu, who joined Paye, Ebukam, Lewis and Dayo Odeyingbo atop their depth chart.
But Ebukam sustained a torn Achilles’ a few days into training camp and did not play during the 2024 season. Lewis and Paye missed games here and there with injuries. Depth in theory doesn’t always mean depth in reality.
Ebukam will return from his injury this year, but the Colts lost Odeyingbo in free agency to the Chicago Bears. And, notably, three players in the current rotation – Ebukam, Lewis and Paye – are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents after the 2025 season.
There’s a good chance Tuimoloau will help the Colts right now as a rookie. But if the Colts aren’t able to retain some of those free agents in 11 months, a strong, physical presence on the edge like Tuimoloau will be awfully nice to have then.
“You can never have enough,” Ballard said. “I mean, you just can’t, especially as the season gets – it’s 17 games. I mean I know that’s kind of a – everybody just kind of blinks at it, but I mean that’s a long season. I mean, you got to have as many defensive linemen that can. Can never have enough rushers.”
7. Justin Walley, Tim Smith and Hunter Wohler can all fit what Lou Anarumo wants in his defense.
New defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo built a roundly-respected reputation with the Cincinnati Bengals as a schematic mastermind when it comes to disguising and deploying a wide variety of coverages. Over the last four seasons, he called a healthy mix of Cover-1, Cover-2, Cover-3, Cover-4 and Cover-6, with plenty of wrinkles in each of those coverages.
So what Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley said on Friday night, after the Colts drafted him, sounded exactly like what Anarumo would want out of a defensive back.
“I’ve had the opportunity to play every single coverage you can play — man, Cover 2, invert 2, Cover 3, Cover 3 match, all types of simulated pressures,” Walley said. “I feel like I have experience in all those.”
Walley was a four-year starter at Minnesota and played both outside corner and in the slot; he also said he feels comfortable playing safety if asked. He started 42 games and showcased good ball skills while playing all those different coverages, totaling 34 pass break-ups and seven interceptions.
The Colts were not dissuaded by Walley’s size (he’s 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, both under the 25th percentile for cornerbacks at the NFL Combine since 1999) and instead focused on his tape, competitiveness and speed (he ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash at the combine while wearing a cast over his wrist).
“He plays the game how we want to play,” area scout Tyler Hughes said. “He’s smart, tough, inst