Cincinnati Bengals Could Add All-American Talent to Offense Through NFL Draft

Now that the the 2025 NFL offseason has officially arrived, teams are starting to look at the holes on their rosters and decide how they want to address the situation.

After a 9-8 season that felt like nothing but underachievement and disappointment, the Cincinnati Bengals will have some tough decisions to make.

Both wide receiver Tee Higgins and tight end Mike Gesicki are hitting free agency, leaving 192 targets and 12 touchdowns vacant. If the Bengals are going to improve upon last year’s mark, they’ll need to either spend money or draft well.

In a 2025 NFL Mock Draft, Mike Renner has Penn State tight end Tyler Warren still available when the Bengals pick at No. 17.

As a redshirt junior, Warren was used relatively sparingly. He accumulated 34 catches for 422 yards and an impressive seven touchdowns for a low volume.

As a redshirt senior for Penn State in 2024, Warren looked like a Swiss army knife. There wasn’t anywhere the Nittany Lions were afraid to put him on offense.

He caught the ball 17 times.
He ran the ball.
He threw the ball.
He snapped the ball.

Tyler Warren was sensational for @PennStateFball vs. USC. pic.twitter.com/5bTv4SKaUK

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 12, 2024

He finished the year with 104 catches for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns. On top of that, he finished with 218 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

We’ve seen teams start to run their own version of the “Brotherly Shove” by having a tight end come in motion and take the snap, something Warren is familiar with.

Warren’s outstanding season was enough for him to be awarded the John Mackey Award for the best tight end of the college football season.

For good reason, too. Warren didn’t just wreak havoc over the middle of the field for defenders but was also an absolute bully when it came to blocking assignments.

Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren (44) makes a touchdown catch against the Boise State Broncos. Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Watch his tape from the Big 10 Championship game against Oregon. While his team didn’t win, Warren’s performance as a blocker in that game was remarkably good.

As if that wasn’t enough, the FWAA, CBS, and ESPN chose him as an All-American.

While Warren will be 23 at the start of the 2025 NFL season compared to someone like Michigan’s Colston Loveland, who will be 21 at the season’s start, Warren has such great plug-and-play potential that it might be too hard for the Bengals to pass up.