The San Francisco 49ers have the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, a spot that—if you've been keeping track of endless speculation—has the team likely taking one of several top offensive linemen or defensive linemen expected to be available there.
A choice like that would make plenty of sense, as taking top-tier talent to fill one of the holes in the trenches would hardly have fans of the 49ers in an uproar.
So while there clearly are some needs that to be addressed in the trenches—watch any game from last season if a reminder is needed—there's a healthy chance that some other true "difference makers," as John Lynch recently alluded to, will also be available for the taking at No. 11.
One of those unique difference makers would be Penn State stud Tyler Warren, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound tight end who does a whole lot of things well that go far beyond just catching the ball, not unlike 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle.
Warren is known not just as a strong blocker, but one who loves to block. He also runs the ball well, too, going for 218 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries in his senior season with the Nittany Lions.
Another aspect that most assuredly could only help his draft stock in the eyes of the 49ers front office was what Warren had to say about Kittle, as well as head coach Kyle Shanahan's offensive scheme:
"He [Kittle] does everything well," Warren said. "I think that would be a great opportunity [to play with Kittle]. Obviously, one of the best tight ends to play football and to be able to learn from him and kind of pick up on some stuff that he does would obviously be a great opportunity for me in being able to learn from him."
"They [the 49ers] use tight ends in a great way," Warren continued. "They use a lot of tight ends in a lot of different ways. I think that would be a fun scheme to be able to be a part of."
It's absolutely enticing to imagine the type of plays Shanahan could dial up with such a unique and versatile talent like Warren playing alongside the always physical and generally gifted Kittle, not to mention the 49ers' other offensive weapons who seem to feed off of contact, like Christian McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings.
If the 49ers didn't have such glaring needs to fill in other areas of great significance, snatching Warren at No. 11 might be closer to reality than it really is.
But, as always, no one outside of Lynch and Co. really know the team's true line of thinking when it comes to that first round pick.
All anyone needs to do is keep referring back to that quote from Lynch about what he would ultimately be looking for there:
"A difference maker. That's what you want. You want a difference maker."
A talent like Warren won't be hanging around very long, so the lone opportunity would be to take him at No. 11 or simply seek other options at tight end in the later rounds and perhaps just hope the Penn State standout doesn't end up landing in the NFC West.
